Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women, with 80% of the cases occurring in developing countries. Cervical cancer is largely preventable by effective screening programs. This has not been possible with opportunistic screening and its low use in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women attending primary care health centres for cervical cancer screening. This was a cross-sectional study of 300 women attending primary health care centres in Bahrain. We used a validated tool comprised of 45 items to collect data through face-to-face interviews between December 2015 and February 2016. Descriptive data are presented for demographic data, and frequency distributions with percentages are presented for each item of the knowledge and attitude questionnaire. The mean age ± SD of the participants was 37.24 ± 11.89 years, they were mostly married (221; 73.7%), and had a high school or higher education (261; 87%). Over 64% (194 participants) had never heard of a Pap smear procedure and only 3.7% (11 participants) had heard about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Nearly 64% (192 participants) believed that a Pap smear was helpful in detecting pre-cancer and cancer of the cervix, and 44.3% (133 participants) believed that they should have a Pap smear at least every 3 years. Regarding the practice, only 40.7% (122 participants) had a Pap smear in their lifetime. The majority of participants felt embarrassed when examined by a male doctor (250, 83.3%) and few underwent a Pap smear screening if they were never married (69, 23.0%). The participants demonstrated a wide range of knowledge and attitudes towards cervical cancer screening. However, the majority demonstrated positive attitudes towards the HPV vaccine.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are the common hospital-associated infections (HAIs), which can be prevented by practicing necessary precautions and by using antimicrobial urinary catheters (UCs). The efficacy of antimicrobial UCs against standard catheters for averting CAUTIs is poorly studied. The objective of the review is to analyze the efficacy of various types of antimicrobial UCs used in hospitalized patients in preventing CAUTIs. The major antimicrobial UCs are silver and antibiotic catheters, in contrast, few antimicrobial catheters include antimicrobial peptides, bactericidal enzymes, bacteriophages, and many are under clinical evaluation. The review concludes that even though many antimicrobial methods are available to prevent CAUTIs, the incidence rate is still high. Antibiotic resistance, leaching of catheter materials which may cause side effects and additional costs are the major challenges for the UCs. Further research is warranted and should focus on cost-effective and ideal antimicrobial UCs, in which the microorganisms cannot form biofilms or develop resistance.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in mandatory isolation and quarantine. The objective of this study was to describe and compare the psychological impacts of COVID-19 isolation and quarantine. Methods: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study. Participants were Bahrainis aged > 18 years who had undergone either isolation or quarantine. Eligible participants were identified from the COVID-19 contacts (quarantine) and cases (isolation) database of Bahrain. Validated questionnaires for self-reported depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies — depression [CES-D]), posttraumatic stress (Impact of Event Scale — revised [IES-R]), and perceived stigma (Stigma Scale [SS]) were administered. Results: Mean CES-D, IES-R, and SS scores were 16.76± 5.65, 13.50± 14.67, and 25.29± 7.99, respectively. In sum, 40% (205 of 502) of participants showed clinically significant depression, and < 20% (98 of 502) had indications of some posttraumatic distress, with greater depression and distress in those isolated than those quarantined. Perceived stigma was reported by 53.4% (268 of 502) of participants, more prominent among those quarantined. Depression and posttraumatic stress scores were significantly higher in females, college students, those with a history of mental health conditions, knowing a COVID-19 fatality, and experiencing social conflict. Age was a significant variable correlated with all three scales, with younger participants indicating more distress, depression, and stigma. Duration of segregation was significantly correlated with CES-D, score showing more depressive symptoms as the duration of isolation increased. Significant predictors were age, sex, history of mental illness, and COVID-19 status. Conclusion: Isolated and quarantined individuals reported depression, perceived stigma, and to a lesser extent distress. Psychological interventions identifying and targeting people with different-severity psychological burdens are in urgent need.

Breast cancer can impact survivors in many aspects of their life. Scarce information is currently available on the quality of life of cancer survivors in Bahrain. The objective of this study is to describe the quality of life of Bahraini women with breast cancer and its association with their sociodemographic and clinical data.