A study was conducted to explore whether fatigue, workload, burnout and the work environment can predict the perceptions of patient safety among critical care nurses in Oman. A cross-sectional predictive design was used. A sample of 270 critical care nurses from the two main hospitals in the country's capital participated, with a response rate of 90%. The negative correlation between fatigue and patient safety culture (r= -0.240) indicates that fatigue has a detrimental effect on nurses' perceptions of safety. There was also a significant relationship between work environment, emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, personal accomplishment and organisational patient safety culture. Regression analysis showed that fatigue, work environment, emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment were predictors for overall patient safety among critical care nurses (R²=0.322, F=6.117, P<0.0001). Working to correct these predictors and identifying other factors that affect the patient safety culture are important for improving and upgrading the patient safety culture in Omani hospitals.

Magnesium (Mg) is a vital trace element in cellular processes, including glucose metabolism and insulin action. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of dysmagnesemia among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its relationship with glycaemic control and diabetic complications. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) from August 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024. The study included adult patients with T2DM treated with oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA), insulin, glucagon-like-peptide 1 (GLP-1) injections or their combinations. Both ionized (iMg) and total (tMg) concentrations were measured and the iMg/tMg ratio was calculated. A total of 329 patients with T2DM of which179 females (54.4%), were studied. Hypomagnesemia was observed in 10.0% based on iMg concentrations and 56.2% based on tMg concentrations, while hypermagnesemia was observed in 11.85% (iMg) and 1.82% (tMg). A positive correlation was found between iMg and tMg (r = 0.589, p < 0.01). Hypermagnesemia was associated with higher serum creatinine concentrations (p < 0.01) and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (p = 0.026). An iMg/tMg ratio above 80% was associated with elevated HbA1c levels, while ratios below 60% were associated with diabetic retinopathy and hypertension. Dysmagnesemia was common among patients with T2DM. The iMg/tMg ratio was associated with diabetic control and presence of complications. The iMg/tMg ratio could be further studied as a potential marker for glycemic control.

Ionized Mg (iMg) may offer a more reliable indicator of Mg status during acute illness than total Mg (tMg) concentrations. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of dysmagnesemia and their relationship using iMg and tMg. The clinical and biochemical characteristics as well as health outcomes and their association with iMg and tMg were also assessed. A prospective study including all eligible adult patients (≥18 years) who were hospitalized in the General Internal Medicine unit at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) for 3.5 months in 2023. The iMg and tMg concentrations were collected on all at the admission. In total 500 patients were included (females 49.2%) with a median age of 64.5 years (IQR: 48-77). The prevalence of hypomagnesemia and hypermagnesemia by iMg concentrations was 3.4% and 26.6%, respectively, while by tMg concentrations 13.2% and 11.0%, respectively. The agreement between both measurements was strong (r=0.665, p<0.01). An increased tMg concentration was independently associated with high dependency units’ admission (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 4.34, 95%CI: 1.24-15.06, p=0.02) and cardiac arrest (aOR: 14.64, 95%CI: 3.04-70.57, p<0.01), and 6-month all-cause mortality (aOR: 11.44, 95%CI: 2.46-53.17, p<0.01). During follow-up hypermagnesemia using tMg had a higher mortality compared to other groups (hazard ratio (HR): 1.82, 95%CI: 1.11-3.01, p=0.02) while no significant findings were demonstrated using iMg concentrations. iMg and tMg concentrations had a strong correlation that might be supporting the potential use of point-of-care devices. Multivariant regression analysis showed that hypermagnesemia by tMg was associated with adverse outcomes. However, the generalizability of the study findings should be taken with caution and the difference in the associations with outcomes highlight the importance of further research to examine the complex associations and impacts of dysmagnesemia in various clinical settings.

Objectives: Little is known about the factors affecting the perceived frequency of event reporting among healthcare workers, especially registered nurses in Oman. This study aimed to assess whether fatigue, workload, burnout and work environment as independent variables have a relationship with frequency of event reporting as the dependent variable and to what extent the independent variables predict the frequency of event reporting between nurses working in different intensive care units (ICU) in selected hospitals in Oman. Methods: This cross-sectional study used standardised questionnaires of hospital survey on patient safety culture, a fatigue assessment scale, the Maslach burnout inventory-human services survey, the NASA task load index and the practice environment scale of the nursing work index. Registered nurses working in ICU participated in this study from two referral hospitals in Oman between June and September 2018. Results: A total of 270 nurses were included in this study (response rate: 90%). There was a statistically significant positive relationship between personal accomplishment and the frequency of event reporting (r = 0.132, P <0.05). Regression analysis showed that nurses’ feedback and communication about errors predicted the frequency of event reporting among ICU nurses in Oman (R2 = 0.214, adjusted R2 = 0.046; F = 12.82, P <0.01). Conclusion: Personal accomplishment and feedback and communication about error of ICU nurses had a positive impact on perceived frequency of event reporting whereas no relationship was found between fatigue, workload, work environment and frequency of event. Strategies need to be in place in health organisations to encourage nurses to report errors.

Globally, alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is considered a serious medical diagnosis associated with increasing morbidity and mortality. Little information has been reported on the scope of the problem in Oman. Study clinical characteristics, management, quality of care, and health outcomes of patients managed for AWS. Retrospective medical record review. University hospital. The study included all patients with AWS admitted from 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2020. We collected demographic and clinical characteristics and did a univariate analysis of factors related to 90-day readmission. Length of hospital stay, 90-day read-mission, referral rate to alcohol rehabilitation center. 150 male patients with median (IQR) age of 39.5 (32-48) years. Most patients (70.7%, n=106) were smokers and 44 (29.3%) had a history of drug abuse. The average length of hospital stay was 2.3 (0.9-4.6) days. Approximately 9% of total hospital bed days were used to care for patients with AWS. Chronic liver disease (35.3%), diabetes mellitus (24.7%), and hypertension (24.0%) were common among AWS patients. The 90-day readmission rate (32.7%) was high, and there was low referral to alcohol rehabilitation (16.7%). Diabetes and epilepsy were associated with 90-day readmission. AWS is an important diagnosis that represents an important burden on acute medical services. Establishing a drug and alcohol service in our institution is an essential step to optimise care for patients with alcohol-related disorders. Retrospective, so unable to collect data on manifestations of AWS such as delirium tremens, which is the most severe form of AWS. Also, the reason for the lack of referral to an outpatient alcohol rehabilitation program was not apparent. None.