Background: Cancer patients are at high risk for mental illness and, in turn, poorer health-related quality of life. This study used nationally representative United States (US) data to examine nuances of the impact of depression and/or anxiety on HRQoL in different cancer groups (e.g., cancer only, cancer and depression, cancer and anxiety, cancer and both conditions). Methods: Adult patients aged 18 years and older with a cancer diagnosis were identified from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data for 2012–2016. HRQoL was measured using the SF-12 Physical and Mental Component Summary (PCS & MCS) scores. Multivariate linear regressions were used, controlling for a multitude of factors. Results: Around 12% of the 1712 identified patients with cancer had depression, 13% had anxiety, and 8.4% had both depression and anxiety. Patients with comorbid depression and anxiety had the lowest mean scores of both PCS and MCS compared to patients in other groups. In addition, cancer patients with either depression and/or anxiety were more likely to have lower MCS scores compared to those with cancer only (depression: β = −6.554; anxiety: β = −3.916; both conditions: β = −11.759, p < 0.001). Interestingly, patients with comorbid depression and anxiety were more likely to have higher PCS scores compared to those with cancer only. Conclusions: The psychological burden of cancer is immense, with a substantial impact on patients’ HRQoL. Routine screening for depression and anxiety, especially for women and those with low poverty status and comorbidities, should be conducted by healthcare providers to identify those with high odds of having a lower HRQoL. Additionally, early psychiatric interventions, such as psychotherapy and prescription drugs, may positively impact patients’ mental well-being and HRQoL.

This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study that explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the availability of essential medicine and personal protective equipment (PPE) in Saudi Arabia. Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit individuals working in the supply chain departments in different healthcare sectors in Saudi Arabia. One hundred and three pharmaceutical and medical supply chain employees participated in the study. Most of the participants (58.3%) were aged ≥35 years, male (65%), and pharmacists (92.2%). The majority of participants had at least two years of experience in supply chain (77.6%), worked in public hospitals (95.15%), and were mostly working at healthcare institutions located in Riyadh province (59.2%). Approximately 51% of the participants reported shortages of 10 or more essential drugs. Tocilizumab, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, ribavirin, dexamethasone, enoxaparin, interferon beta-1b, cisatracurium besylate, prednisolone, hydrocortisone, methimazole, and methylprednisolone were reported to be in shortage by at least 8% of the participants. Almost 70% of the participants reported that the pandemic did not significantly impact the prices of prescription drugs in shortage (e.g., ≥25%). Moreover, about 70% of the participants reported direct purchasing or procurement of drugs in shortage. Surgical masks, face shields, medical gowns, and N95 respirators were reported to be in short supply by 33% or more of the participants. Approximately 53% of the participants reported the prices of PPE in shortage had seen an increase by at least 25% during the pandemic. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant disruption in the global pharmaceutical supply chain, its impact was largely manageable in Saudi healthcare institutions. This can be attributable to multiple reasons such as the effective exchange programs between hospitals and the drastic increase in public healthcare spending to ameliorate the negative impact of the pandemic on the healthcare sector.

Purpose: To assess the general public awareness and perception about Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) reporting and pharmacovigilance. Method: A cross-sectional study conducted on June 2012 during awareness campaign held in two malls in Riyadh city for two days. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of three parts was distributed to the attendees who accepted to participate in the study. Results: A total of 204 questionnaires were collected with a response rate of 68%. Twenty-three percent could correctly define ADRs. Only 13(15.7%) of responders were familiar with the term "Pharmacovigilance" and only 78.6% were aware about the Saudi Pharmacovigilance Center. Sixty-seventy percent indicated that their physicians or pharmacists don't actively encourage them to report ADRs that may occur when they take their medications. The majority of responders (73.2%) believed that the medical team, rather than consumers, should report ADRs. When asked why patients do not report ADRs, 19.1(48.5%) believed that patients do not know whether the ADR is from the medication or not, 18.1(46.1%) stated that the reason was because patients don't know about the Pharmacovigilance Center, 16(40.7%) think that patients don't know about the importance of ADRs reporting, and 14(36.3%) responded that patients probably don't know how to report ADRs. Conclusion: The general public in Saudi Arabia are not aware about ADRs reporting and the pharmacovigilance system. The Saudi Food and Drug Authorities (FDA) need to put more efforts to increasing public awareness about the importance of ADRs reporting process and the importance of pharmacovigilance system in promoting patient safety.

Objectives: Increasing national influenza vaccination rates continues to be a challenge for Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the Saudi public perceptions toward seasonal influenza vaccination and their association with the rate of vaccination. Methods: Individuals aged 15 years and older were surveyed about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward the seasonal influenza vaccine using a previously developed and validated 19-item online questionnaire. The impact of the participants’ perceptions toward the seasonal influenza vaccine on their past influenza vaccination history was assessed using multiple linear regressions. Results: The rate of regular vaccination among the 790 surveyed participants was 12.65%, and those who were aged 90%) reported irregular vaccination histories against seasonal influenza. Participants who believed that the influenza vaccine is safe (β = 3.27; 95% CI: 2.067 to 5.171; p <0.001), efficacious (β = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.834 to 4.498; p <0.001), should be given during a specific time in the year (β = 1.821; 95% CI: 1.188 to 2.789; p = 0.0059), and were aware of their need to get vaccinated against the seasonal influenza (β = 2.781; 95% CI: 1.254 to 6.188; p = 0.0119) were more likely to have received the vaccine. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the rate of seasonal influenza vaccination is low among the Saudi population, which necessitates the launching of public awareness campaigns about the importance of the seasonal influenza vaccine.

Background: Medication non-adherence is a complex multifactorial phenomenon impacting patients with various health conditions worldwide. Therefore, its detection can improve patient outcomes and minimize the risk of adverse consequences. Even though multiple self-reported medication adherence assessment scales are available, very few of them exist in Arabic language. Therefore, the aim of this study was to validate a newly translated Arabic version of the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS) among patients with chronic health conditions. Methods: This is a single-center cross-sectional study that was conducted between October 10th 2018 and March 23rd 2021. ARMS was first translated to Arabic using the forward-backward translation method. The translated scale was then piloted among 21 patients with chronic health conditions (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, etc.…) to examine its reliability and comprehensibility using the test-retest method. Thereafter, the Arabic-translated ARMS was self-administered to adult patients aged ≥18 years with chronic health conditions visiting the primary care clinics of a university-affiliated tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Construct validity was examined using factor analysis with varimax rotation. Results: Of the 264 patients who were invited to participate, 202 (76.5%) consented and completed the questionnaire. Most of the participants were males (69.9%), married (75.2%), having a college degree or higher (50.9%), retired or unemployed (65.2%), aged ≥ 50 years (65.2%), and are diabetic (95.9%). The 12-item Arabic-translated ARMS mean score was 17.93 ± 4.90, and the scale yielded good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.802) and test-retest reliability (Intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.97). Two factors were extracted explaining 100% of the of the total variance (factor 1 = 52.94% and factor 2 = 47.06%). Conclusions: The 12-item Arabic version of ARMS demonstrated good validity and reliability. Therefore, it should help in the detection of medication non-adherence among Arabic-speaking patient population and minimize the risk of adverse consequences.

Objectives: The utilization rate of herbal and dietary supplements among the Saudi population is reported to be high. However, the utilization rate and types of herbal and dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic are largely unknown. Methods: This was an online questionnaire-based cross-sectional study that used convenience sampling and social media platforms (Telegram^®, Twitter^®, and WhatsApp^®) to disseminate a 12-item questionnaire across the Saudi general public aged 18 years and above. The questionnaire inquired about the sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, education, geographical location), presence of chronic health conditions and the use of prescription medications, awareness of the viral nature of COVID-19 infection and its common symptoms, and the commonly utilized herbal and/or dietary supplements. Results: Sixty-four percent of the 1473 participants reported using herbal and/or dietary supplements for the purpose of boosting their immune system to prevent COVID-19 infection. In addition, 88.2% of the respondents were misinformed about the manifestation of COVID-19 symptoms. Most of the participants were Saudi (91.9%), aged 49 years and younger (83%), female (52%), and healthy (81%). Honey (46%), lemon (45%), ginger (36%), vitamin C (32%), black seed (26%), garlic (26%), and turmeric (19%) were the most commonly used herbal and/or dietary supplements by the participants. Saudi nationals (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.08 to 2.6, p = 0.02), older adults (OR = 1.30, 95% CI:1.10 to 1.55, p = 0.002), and those taking prescription medications had higher odds of using dietary and/or herbal supplements (OR = 3.31, 95% CI: 2.61 to 4.18, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The utilization rate of herbal and dietary supplements among the Saudi public during the COVID-19 pandemic is high. Future studies should examine the impact of different public awareness campaigns aimed at improving the public knowledge of the risk and benefits associated with the use of different commonly utilized herbal and dietary products identified in this study.