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The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is essential for assessing traumatic brain injury and predicting patient outcomes, yet studies indicate that nurses often have only a basic understanding of the GCS. In Saudi Arabia, research on this topic is limited, suggesting a need for improvement in nurses' GCS knowledge. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and proficiency of 199 staff nurses at King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, regarding GCS usage and to identify the factors impacting their competence. A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted, and the data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. The results showed that 81.4% of nurses had an average level of GCS knowledge, with a mean score of 8.8 ± 1.826. Only 13.6% demonstrated good knowledge, while 5% had poor knowledge. A significant correlation was found between GCS knowledge and nurses' departments (χ2(2) = 19.184, p < 0.001). The study concludes that GCS knowledge among nurses in this Saudi Arabian center is moderate, highlighting the need for continuous education programs to enhance their competence in GCS assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Saudi Medical Journal is the property of Saudi Medical Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: To assess clinicians' adherence to fingolimod's effective use according to the prescribed recommendations to reduce safety risk, identify the consequences, and highlight areas for improvement to policy makers for the benefit of both patient and care-giver. Methods: A retrospective observational study conducted at a tertiary hospital targeting multiple sclerosis patients on fingolimod from January 2017 to December 2021. The physicians' adherence to the manufacturer's instructions was assessed and categorized into good, moderate, and poor based on adherence to fingolimod instructions and monitoring measures. Four monitoring measures were assessed: bradycardia observation, ophthalmic examination, liver enzymes, and infections. In addition, the impact of adherence on patient safety was also assessed. Results: A total of 140 patients were included. Seventy-two patients (51.4%) had physician with poor adherence followed only one instruction or none). Sixty-five patients (46.4%) had 2-3 manufacture recommendations where physician's adherence was moderate. Three patients (2.10%) had all manufacturer's recommendations. In terms of fingolimod complications, 18 patients found to have bradycardia after the first does, macular oedema and infections was reported in 4 patients, and the elevation in hepatic enzymes was reported in 6 patients. Poor physician's adherence has resulted in treatment incompleteness and highest fingolimod discontinuation or switching to other treatment options. Conclusion: Adherence to fingolimod instructions was poor among physicians which resulted in highest drug switching or discontinuing rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the meta‐analysis was to evaluate and compare the prevalence of surgical site infection (SSI) after spine surgery (SS) in nasal colonization of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The results of this meta‐analysis were analysed, and the odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using dichotomous or contentious random‐ or fixed‐effect models. For the current meta‐analysis, 14 examinations spanning from 2014 to 2022 were included, encompassing 18 410 people who were tested for nasal colonization after SS. MRSA‐positive had a significantly higher SSI (OR, 3.65; 95% CI, 2.48–5.37, p < 0.001) compared with MRSA‐negative in SS subjects. However, no significant difference was found between methicillin‐susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus aureus negative (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.32–2.79, p = 0.91), and Staphylococcus aureus positive and negative (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 0.26–17.41, p = 0.48) in SS subjects. The examined data revealed that MRSA colonization had a significant effect on SSI; however, methicillin‐susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus aureus had no significant effect on SSI in SS subjects. However, given that some comparisons included a small number of chosen studies, attention should be given to their values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Farmacia is the property of Societatea de Stiinte Farmaceutice Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and Objective: Regular exercise has a positive effect on the well-being of individuals; however, improper utilization of exercise facilities may result in sports/exercise-related injuries leading to increased burden on the health system. The objective of this study was to measure the prevalence of sports injury and explore its association with warm-up in males visiting the fitness center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 521 males, while they were visiting the fitness/sports center in Riyadh city. The interviews comprised of questions on sociodemographic information, sports/exercise-related injury, warm-up, and its type and duration, medical history, smoking status, height, and weight of the participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to measure the association between sports injury and warm-up. Results: The mean age and body mass index (BMI) of the participants was 24.0 (±6.7) years and 25.8 (±5.8) kg/m², respectively. Regular exercise was reported by 63% (n = 330) of the participants, whereas 43.4% (n = 228) mentioned some kind of sports/exercise-related injury during the last 1 year. Regular warm-up was reported by 45% (n = 236) of the participants. The multivariate logistic regression analysis found no significant association between sports injury and warm up [0.73 (0.41, 1.31)]; and the age category 31-50 years had 2.06 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15-3.69) times higher odds for the injury in comparison to younger ages (16-25 years). Low income group (<5000 SAR) had odds of 2.04 (95% CI: 1.28-3.24) in comparison to >10,000 SAR. The participants following the diet plan for weight loss also showed higher odds (1.61 [95% CI: 1.06-2.43]) for reporting sports injury in comparison to those without diet plan. The association was adjusted for BMI. Conclusions: Prevalence of exercise/sports-related injury among fitness club visitors is significantly high. Awareness about sports injury and proper gym training should focus on young adults visiting the fitness center with the purpose of weight loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a free nicotine- patch therapy for smoking cessation in Saudi smokers. A single centered prospective study was carried out in a charity clinic for smoking cessation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 31 subjects who attended the smoking cessation clinic from June 2014 to August 2014 were studied. All participants were male and their mean age was 31.1±6.4 years. The duration of history of smoking was 12.9±6.8 years. The nicotine- patch therapy outcomes were measured at baseline and at 6 weeks after using nicotine- patch therapy. At base line the number of cigarettes per day was 27±10 and carbon monoxide (CO) level was 20.2±8.3. The analyzed statistics revealed that there were significant decreased in the number of cigarette per day (p=0.001) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) level (p=0.001) over 6 weeks of nicotine- patch therapy. After 6 weeks of therapy, abstinence rate was 58 % (verified by CO level) and no serious adverse reactions were documented. The most common side effects were nausea, headache and local irritation sings. In addition, our finding revealed that smokers were likely to suffer from withdrawal symptoms following trying to quit. These withdrawal symptoms include sleep disturbance, loss of concentration and weight gain as well as irritability. Results of this study show that free nicotine-patch therapy is an effective measure for smoking cessation in Saudi population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]