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Management of invasive fungal infections (IFI) and subsequent treatment choices remain challenging for physicians in the ICU. Documented evidence shows increased practice of the inappropriate use of antifungal agents in the ICU. Continuous education of healthcare providers (HCPs) represents the cornerstone requirement for starting an antifungal stewardship program (AFS). This study aimed at evaluating knowledge gaps in systemic antifungal prescribing among physicians and clinical pharmacists in a critical care setting. A cross-sectional, multi-center, survey-based study was conducted in five tertiary hospitals located in Al-Ahsaa, Saudi Arabia between January and May 2021. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the targeted clinicians. A total of 63 clinicians were involved (65.5% ICU physicians and 34.5% clinical pharmacists). It was noted that a minority of the participating HCPs (3.2%) had overall good knowledge about antifungal prescribing, but the majority had either moderate (46%) or poor (50.8%) knowledge. The difference in overall knowledge scores between the ICU physicians and the clinical pharmacists (p = 0.925) was not significant. However, pharmacists showed better scores for the pharmacokinetics of antifungal therapy (p = 0.05). This study has revealed a significant gap in the knowledge and practice of clinicians as regards prescribing antifungal therapy in our area. Although the results cannot be generalized, the outcome of this study has exposed the need for a tailored training program essential for carrying out an AFS program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The alarming liability of breast cancer, mainly among younger Saudi women, has been attributed to diverse factors requiring a manageable valuation. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the types of tumors and breast cancer presentation stages in Northern Saudi Arabia. In the present study, retrieved data regarding breast biopsies were received from the Department of Pathology at King Salman Hospital, Hail, Northern Saudi Arabia. Included data referring to breast cancer biopsies patients (including 131 females and two males) diagnosed during the period from November 2019 to November 2020. Out of the 133 patients, breast cancer was diagnosed in 49/133(36.8%) patients included 45/49(91.8%) invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), 2/49(4.1%) invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), and 2/49(4.1%) papillary carcinoma. The remaining 84 benign breast lesions included 40/84(47.6%) fibroadenoma, 11/84(13%) ductal hyperplasia, 9/84(10.7%) fibrocystic disease, 8/84(9.5%) adenosis, 4/84(4.8%) chronic mastitis, 3/84(3.6%) breast abscess & intraductal papilloma, 2/84(2.4%) duct ectasia & phylloides tumor, and 1/84(1.2%) lactating adenoma & lipoma. Breast cancer is highly prevalent in Northern Saudi Arabia with predominantly invasive ductal carcinoma. There is an increase in the incidence of younger patients with advanced stages of initial presentation. Fibroadenoma is the commonest benign breast lesion, followed by fibrocystic diseases in Northern Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to study the current use of Web 2.0 applications such as Wiki, Blogs, Facebook, Wikipedia by teaching staff in field training at health care institutions, in Saudi Arabia by identifying the most widely used web applications. The study also aimed to identify the obstacles of using Web 2.0 applications in field training at health care institutions. A descriptive approach was used in this research. The four-dimensional study tools were applied to 47 teaching staff social work, who are the training supervisors at health care institutions. The results indicated that the most common Web 2.0 application used by teaching staff in field training at health care institutions is the application of Wikipedia, whilst many obstacles were found to the use of Web 2.0 applications in field training at health care institutions. These included the many teaching hours per week by social work teaching staff, students' weakness in the use of the English language, the lack of periodic maintenance for computers and Internet connection at colleges, and the lack of exchanging experiences and knowledge between universities regarding using Web 2.0 applications in education. Based on these results, recommendations were made for increasing teaching staff ' awareness of the importance of using Web 2.0 applications when teaching social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]