Background: Male partners have a considerable role in influencing women’s contraceptive decision making to reduce the chance of unintended pregnancy. Most studies are focused on women’s knowledge and barriers for emergency contraception (EC) use. There is limited research on this topic from the male perspective. This study aimed to gather baseline data on men’s knowledge, attitudes and barriers about EC. Methods: Descriptive analytic cross-sectional study was conducted from Dec 2019 –May 2020 at the King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH); a teaching facility with general and subspecialty medical services in King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a structured pretested questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Descriptive statistics and Chi square tests were used. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to find significant predictors for EC awareness and use. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 461 participants completed the questionnaire (response rate 86%). The majority (82%) of the participants were unaware of EC; with only 18% having some knowledge. Knowledgeable men had positive attitudes (73.5%) about EC as compared to non- knowledgeable ones (55.0%). Factors found to be associated with less knowledge of EC were cultural [0.46, 95%CI 0.22. 0.96] and religious unacceptability [OR 0.51, 95%CI 0.29, 0.89)]. Higher level of education [OR 1.83, 95%CI 0.94, 3.53] was associated with more knowledge regarding EC. The study showed that correct information about using contraceptives within 3 days of unprotected sex [OR 4.96, 95%CI 1.81, 13.60]; availability without prescription [OR 5.06, 95%CI 1.68, 15.30], EC advertisement [OR 4.84, 95%CI 0.96, 24.27] and receipt of information from family/friends [OR 18.50, 95%CI 5.19, 65.93] were factors that contributed to men using EC. Conclusion: The current knowledge of EC among men is limited. Social determinants affect these levels of knowledge, as well as the usage of EC. Factors that were associated with the use of ECPs were correct knowledge, advertisement, availability and receipt of information from family/friends. The findings highlight the need to educate men on this important topic to avoid unintended pregnancy, keeping in view cultural and social values. Future qualitative studies are needed to understand the male perspective.

Objectives: To assess knowledge, attitude, and barriers about emergency contraception (EC) among married women of child bearing age.Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted over a 6-month period, commencing in March 2013 at Family Practice Clinics of King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a structured pretested questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 statistical software.Result: A total of 242 women were enrolled in the study. Only 6.2% (15/242) had some knowledge of EC and of these only two had ever used it. Health care professionals were the least reported source of EC information (6.6%, n=1). Majority (73.3%) had negative attitude toward EC being available over-the-counter without a prescription. The most common barriers to using EC were concerns about possible health effects. Only two women (13.3%) considered religious belief as a major hindrance to its use.Conclusion: Awareness of emergency contraception is very low among women of Saudi Arabia. Health care professionals were the least reported source of information, which is a cause for concern. Our findings reveal an urgent need to educate women about EC, keeping in view the social norms and the Islamic values.doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12669/pjms.316.8127How to cite this: Karim SI, Irfan F, Al-Rowais N, Al-Zahrani B, Qureshi R, Al-Qadrah BH. Emergency contraception: Awareness, attitudes and barriers of Saudi Arabian Women. Pak J Med Sci 2015;31(6):1500-1505.

Family physicians' utility of social media: a survey comparison among family medicine residents and physicians

Objectives: To evaluate the King Saud University Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program for Family Physicians in relation to the Convenience, Relevance, Individualization, Self-Assessment, Interest, Speculation and Systematic (CRISIS) criteria.Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted at King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The authors used the six strategies of Convenience, Relevance, Individualization, Self-Assessment, Interest, Speculation and Systematic (CRISIS) for evaluation. The program was independently analyzed by the three authors using CRISIS framework. The results were synthesized. The suggestions were discussed and agreed upon and documented.Results: The results indicate that KSU-CPD program meets the CRISIS criteria for effective continuing professional development and offers a useful approach to learning. The course content covers specific areas of practice, but some shortcomings were found that need to be improved like self assessment area and individual learning needs analysis.Conclusion: This program is suitable for Family Physicians, as it is well planned and utilizes most of the principles of CRISIS, but there is still room for improvement. Designing a program for general practitioners using hybrid model that offers a blend of e-learning as well as face-to-face learning opportunities would be an ideal solution.doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12669/pjms.292.3155How to cite this:Karim SI, Irfan F, Qureshi R, Naeem N, Alfaris EAM. Evaluation of Continuing Professional Development Program for Family Physicians. Pak J Med Sci 2013;29(2):458-463.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the prevalence and patterns of cardiovascular and renal complications among patients with T2DM in the Saudi population and elucidate the extent of these comorbidities and their potential risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted across three research locations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study incorporated the first 248 T2DM patients who met the criteria and provided their consent. The sites for this research comprised one secondary care public hospital, one public primary care clinic, and one private medical facility. Efforts were made to evenly distribute patients across the six locations, spanning three distinct sectors. Should any location fall short of its patient target, other sites would step in to balance the deficit. Patient data was gathered during their enrollment visit as well as the patient’s medical records. These encompassed variables such as age, gender, race, smoking status, residential location, duration of T2DM, most recent HbA1c, blood pressure, lipid levels, kidney function, and most recent weight/body mass index (BMI). Results: Those with diabetes for five years or longer were more likely to have CKD (2.1 times higher), CAD (3.2 times higher), cerebrovascular disease (4.3 times higher), and hypertension (6.2 times higher). Most participants knew diabetes was a common health problem, and those with diabetic relatives were at a higher risk. In the present study, patients with uncontrolled HbA1C diabetes demonstrated a notably increased prevalence of various comorbidities CKD (OR=3.9, p < 0.0001), CAD (OR=2.3, p = 0.007), CHF (OR=3.1, p = 0.0001), cerebrovascular disease (OR=2.4, p = 0.0004), CVD (OR=4.2, p=<0.0001) and hypertension (OR=3.5, p = 0.0001) compared to those without uncontrolled HbA1C diabetes. However, CVD and hypertension shows a stronger association with diabetes The analysis demonstrated that diabetes was highly correlated to neuropathy (t = 2.204, p = 0.002), coronary artery disease (t = 1.53, p = 0.03), congestive heart failure (CHF) (t = 1.34, p = 0.05), cerebrovascular Disease (t = 2.65, p = 0.009), and hypertension (t = 5.05, p = 0.000). Conclusion: We concluded that patients who had diabetes for five years or more had considerably greater risks of developing comorbidities such as chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and hypertension. Among others hypertension being a major comorbidity that significantly influences the progression or presence of diabetes. This highlights the necessity of beginning treatment as early as possible and maintaining glycemic control to reduce the risk of diabetes-related problems in the long run. One limitation of this study is its cross-sectional design, which only captures data at a single point in time, preventing the establishment of causal relationships between variables.

Purpose: The increasing prevalence of distress among students is of global concern. Several factors such as school and family environment and ineffective study skills could influence mental health. The study explored the rate of distress symptoms among school students’ and its relationship with their study skills, stressors and demographic factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional analytical study, a sample of 215 students from a community school participated in the study. Three questionnaires, demographic questionnaire, Study Skills Inventory and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using Student’s t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and stepwise linear regression. Results: Response rate was 70% (n = 150). A high proportion of respondents (75%) was distressed (mean 27.28 ± 8.77). Correlation analysis showed that distress (K10 score) was negatively related to study skills (SSI total score) (r = − 0.247, p = 0.002). The rate of distress symptoms was higher among female students (79%) compared to their male counterparts (72%). The factors associated with distress included negative association of teachers’ level of help to develop competencies (p = 0.000, β = − 0.278, R² = 0.249), unfavorable school environment (p = 0.000, β = 0.285, R² = 0.123), inability to cope with studies (p = 0.005, β = 0.205, R² = 0.038), family problems (p = 0.014, β = 0.184, R² = 0.173) and lower study skills (p = 0.031, β = − 0.164, R² = 0.270). The overall regression analysis explained 33.6% of the variance (corrected R² = 0.336). Conclusion: Higher than expected levels of distress (75%) was found in immigrant school students. Poor study skills have a significant relationship with distress. Learning environment and related stress factors were associated with distress among students. Based on the findings, it is recommended that stakeholders in education address the hidden curriculum, as it is usually unacknowledged and might affect students’ wellbeing, and move from student centered to an interpersonal relation-centered education.