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BACKGROUND: Despite improvements in anesthesia practice, there is still a lack of public awareness of the field, the range of an anesthesiologist's duties, and the crucial role they play in the healthcare delivery system. Thus, this study aimed to assess Saudi citizens' perceptions of anesthesiologists' training, expertise, role, and responsibilities, as well as their knowledge and concerns about anesthesia. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2022 and April 2023, with a 42-question survey administered to 406 adult Saudi citizens of both genders residing in Saudi Arabia, excluding healthcare students and employees. RESULTS: Most participants were female (82.8%), aged over 40 (67.6%), held a bachelor's degree (74.6%), and reported very good health (38.7%). A majority (67.2%) had at least undergone one or more surgeries. Knowledge scores averaged 8.14 ± 2.35/14, distributed as 20% poor, 67.7% moderate, and 12.3% good. Perception scores averaged 3.25 ± 1.59/7, with 55.2% poor, 38.2% moderate, and 6.7% good. A significant positive correlation between perception and knowledge scores was found. Higher perception scores were associated with having a chronic medical condition, while higher knowledge scores were associated with being female and having undergone more surgeries. Anesthesiologists were recognized as specially trained doctors by 79.8% of participants, and 63.8% trusted physicians for care. However, 22.4% refused care. Notably, the most common anesthesia concern was fear of dying during anesthesia (very concerned: 26.6%). CONCLUSION: This study reveals knowledge gaps and misconceptions about an anesthesiologist's role and responsibilities, highlighting the need for public education to address concerns, improve patient satisfaction, and inform future research.

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Epilepsy, one of the most prevalent chronic neurological diseases, can cause severe morbidity as well as mortality. A mutation of the KCNMA1 gene results in a rare genetic disease that causes epilepsy as its core presentation. Both neurological and non-neurological manifestations have been reported in patients with KCNMA1 gene mutation. We are reporting a KCNMA1 gene variant referred to as c.2369C>T (p. Pro790Leu), which encodes the subunit of alpha of calcium-sensitive potassium channels, which causes epilepsy but not dyskinesia in a young Saudi female who is the daughter of consanguineous parents. Our case shows that calcium-sensitive potassium channels can cause an isolated generalized epilepsy as reported previously in a single case. Moreover, this case aids in delineating the clinical and structural picture and the treatment of the KCNMA1 gene mutation in patients.

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BACKGROUND: Most of the medical schools in Saudi Arabia are currently evolving their curricula in accordance with the most recognized medical education trends worldwide. Undergraduate medical school's curriculum should be compatible with community health needs. Therefore, the study aims to explore the current contents of Saudi undergraduate medical curricula and to check if the core topics that were internationally recognized were implemented in their curriculum. METHODOLOGY: An online questionnaire was designed and sent to 37 deans of medical schools in Saudi Arabia. The deans or the vice-deans in charge of the curriculum were asked to complete the pre-designed questionnaire, which assessed the status of inclusion of the core topics in the curriculum of their affiliated schools. Each listed core topic was evaluated according to five options for each subject: not included, separate required course, part of the required course, separate elective course, and part of an elective course. RESULTS: Twenty four out of 37 (65%) Saudi medical schools completed the survey questionnaire. Almost all core topics, such as communication skills, evidence-based medicine, patient safety, professionalism were included in the curricula of Saudi medical schools as separate required courses or as part of required courses or elective courses. Complementary and alternative medicine and the history of medicine were the topics least taught in Saudi medical colleges, as 25% of the schools did not include them in their curricula. CONCLUSION: The majority (65%) of the internationally recognized core topics were included in the Saudi undergraduate medical curricula. Evidence-based medicine, complementary medicine, the Saudi healthcare system, patient safety, and professionalism/medical ethics should be part of compulsory credited courses in all Saudi undergraduate medical curricula.

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OBJECTIVE: Physicians are subject to chronic stressors, depression, and burnout due to long working hours, high requirements, and critical decision-making.[12345] All those reasons contribute to the dissatisfaction of physicians. The dissatisfaction of physicians might lead to lower health-care quality.[6] Moreover, patient satisfaction is strongly affected by physician satisfaction.[78] This study aims to measure job satisfaction among family medicine (FM) physicians in Saudi Arabia. STUDY DESIGN: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 265 FM physicians working in Saudi Arabia to participate in an online survey between October 2019 and January 2019. RESULTS: Results showed that more than 50% of the respondents were very satisfied with their career choice (55.5%, n = 147). Non-Saudis who were satisfied or strongly satisfied were higher than those of Saudis (P = 0.035) and 2.45 times more likely to be dissatisfied compared to non-Saudi respondents. Respondents from the southern region were 81% less likely to be dissatisfied than respondents from the central region (OR = 0.19, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Family medicine physicians showed a high level of satisfaction with their career choice regardless of gender, age, sector public or private, marital status. This is promising for family medicine as a medical specialty. The future of health care in Saudi Arabia is driven toward general practice and primary care centers, which aligns with the future vision of Saudi Arabia 2030.

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BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend the introduction of allergenic foods as early as 4-6 months of age to decrease the risk of food allergy. However, caregivers' knowledge about such practices and adherence to them is ambiguous. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the timing of introduction of potentially allergenic foods into children's diet and the level of maternal awareness about and degree of compliance with current recommendations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study from May 2019 to January 2020 at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University Medical Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through questionnaire-based surveys, and a total of 405 mothers were enrolled in the study. The eligibility criteria included mothers of children between the ages of 12 and 36 months. RESULTS: Most mothers in this study had initiated allergenic foods, and the average time of introduction was 9.84 ± 3.16 months for eggs, 14.6 ± 5.78 months for peanuts, and 13.6 ± 5.37 months for fish. Around one-quarter (n = 102, 25.2%) of the children were identified as being in the high-risk group. Most mothers did not know or disagreed that the timing of introducing allergenic foods might help in preventing food allergy, but there was no difference between the risk groups (33.8% and 26.2%, respectively). Moreover, only 18.6% and 13.2% of the high- and low-risk groups, respectively, received correct information from their health care providers (P = .004). Mothers with only one child were less likely to start eggs at an early age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.5 and P = .005). Furthermore, children at a high risk of food allergy were two times more likely to start eggs at an earlier age (OR = 2.12 and P = .003). CONCLUSION: In this study, the allergenic food feeding practices being followed for infants and young children were found to be suboptimal. Parental education level and the number of siblings were identified as potential barriers to the implementation of and adherence to recent guidelines. There is a need for corrective measures to ensure safe and appropriate feeding practices in the Saudi community.

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Background: Burnout is a syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a low sense of personal accomplishment. The aim of this study was to identify burnout incidence in pediatric residents and evaluate possible risk factors for burnout. Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, we approached all pediatric residents in the Saudi Pediatrics Residency Program in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (n=457) between January and March 2019. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey was used to assess burnout incidence. In addition, demographic factors, schedule burden, career choice satisfaction, and work-life balance were assessed. Results: The response rate was 57.8% (264/457). Males represented 46.6%. Only 14% of the residents in the study were satisfied with their work-life balance, and 62% were satisfied with their career choice of pediatrics. The overall high burnout incidence was 15.9%, the high emotional exhaustion incidence was 63.6%, the high depersonalization incidence was 27.7%, and the low sense of personal accomplishment incidence was 48.5%. In the multivariate analysis, an increase in the average number of on-calls per month (odds ratio [OR]=1.66, 95% CI 1.12-2.46; P=0.012) and satisfaction with salary (OR=0.47, 95% CI 0.33-0.66; P<0.001) showed significant associations with high overall burnout. Conclusion: We found a high level of emotional exhaustion and a low sense of personal accomplishment among respondents. However, less than one-third of residents had feelings of depersonalization or overall high burnout. Residency program directors may need to make modifications in their programs to ensure a good work-life balance for residents that will help ensure that these physicians provide safe and sustained patient care.

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BACKGROUND: Klüver-Bucy syndrome is a rare and complex neurobehavioral cluster that occurs in humans and results from a temporal lobe lesion. It can be associated with a variety of causes. Stroke is a rarely reported cause of this syndrome. CASE PRESENTATION: In this report, we present the case of a 68-year-old Saudi male who developed Klüver-Bucy syndrome subsequent to a nondominant middle cerebral artery ischemic stroke involving right temporal lobe. The patient manifested most of the Klüver-Bucy syndrome clinical features, including hypersexuality, hyperphagia, hyperorality, and visual hypermetamorphosis (excessive tendency to react to every visual stimulation with a tendency to touch every such stimulus). These neurobehavioral manifestations improved after he was started on treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical course, anatomical association relying on pathophysiology, and potential treatment have all been deliberated in regard to the rare occurrence of Klüver-Bucy syndrome resulting from temporal lobe pathology.

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OBJECTIVES: To present the experience on stroke thrombolysis of a tertiary care center in Riyadh, KSA. METHODS: Cross-sectional, observational study of patients thrombolyzed between January 2012 and December 2018. RESULTS: Thrombolysis was performed in 148 patients (mean age: 58.2±14.5 years), 94 (63.5%) of them were men. The median onset-to-door time was 81 minutes, and 25% of the patients arrived within 1 hour. The median National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score upon admission was 13. Hypertension (68.9%), diabetes (56.1%), and dyslipidemia (40.5%) were the most common risk factors for stroke. The most common mechanism of stroke was cardioembolism (43.2%), which was associated with a more severe presentation (p=0.031). Intravenous thrombolysis alone was given to 98 patients (66.2%); the rest received intravenous tissue plasminogen activator plus endovascular therapy or endovascular therapy alone. The median door-to-needle (DTN) time was 70.5 min, with a significant improvement from 2012 (111.6 minutes) to 2018 (69.9 minutes) (p<0.001). Among the patients, 53 (35.8%) showed a good outcome (with a modified Rankin score of 0-2) whereas 14 (9.5%) died. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) was seen in 8.1%. All vascular risk factors were more common in patients aged >60 years, except smoking, which was more common in the younger age group (p=0.007). CONCLUSION: In our cohort, the utilization of thrombolysis and the DTN time improved over time. One-thirds of the patients received endovascular treatment. Moreover, the frequency of the vascular risk factors was high. Compared with the published findings, our results showed that cardioembolic strokes were the most frequent and had severe presentation and were likely the cause of the slight increase in mortality and sICH.

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OBJECTIVE: Parental recognition of children's developmental milestones has been correlated with more effective childcare strategies and overall better outcomes for children. However, the knowledge that parents have about children's development remains uncertain which reflects serious concerns about children's health in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study was undertaken to identify parents' knowledge levels about children's developmental milestones and the information sources they rely on for this knowledge. Study Design. We recruited 1471 parents aged ≥18 with at least one child under 14 and living in Riyadh to participate in an online survey between July of 2019 and January of 2020. RESULTS: Most respondents showed a poor level of knowledge (80.0%) in all of four domains. However, mothers had more acceptable levels of knowledge (21.0%) than fathers (10.0%) (p ≤ 0.01). There was a significant association between knowledge and age at first child's birth; respondents who had their first child between 39 and 50 had the highest levels of knowledge (37.5%; p ≤ 0.01). In the four domains of development, parents were found to have the most knowledge about physical development (52.3%), followed by cognitive development (21.6%), social development (21.5%), and emotional development (21.2%). Only a few parents (5%) claimed to always rely on their healthcare professionals for information. CONCLUSION: There is a lack of appropriate knowledge about developmental milestones among parents, which reflects serious concerns about children's health in Saudi Arabia. Healthcare institutions and pediatricians currently play a minimal role in health education. Effective health education programs and strategies should be implemented to improve child development outcomes in the community.

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Lymphoma is a prevalent type of lymphoid tissue malignancy that is seldom associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). In the majority of instances, both Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are not proceeded by GBS. Here, we report on a case of a young patient with a manifestation and investigation suggestive of GBS, signaling an unconfirmed diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma. A cerebrospinal fluid test revealed an albuminocytological dissociation with a noteworthy rise in protein (2.32 g/L). The patient was initiated on intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment and then showed dramatic improvement after the third dose of IVIG. His constitutional presentation alongside high inflammatory labs prompted further investigation. An enhanced pan-computed tomography scan showed multiple enlarged mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes that were confirmed as Hodgkin's lymphoma after biopsy. Brentuximab was initiated immediately after IVIG therapy. This case highlights consideration of Hodgkin's lymphoma as a differential diagnosis under the auspices of GBS.

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Background Intranasal corticosteroids (INCSs) are the first-line treatment for patients with moderate to severe conditions of allergic rhinitis (AR) as per current guidelines. However, patients' knowledge and practice towards the safety of such medications remains ambiguous. Therefore, this study was undertaken to identify the awareness of and knowledge about the safety of nasal corticosteroid usage in patients with allergic rhinitis as well as their adherence to taking the medication. Materials and methods We conducted a cross-sectional study from June to September 2020 at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University Medical Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through questionnaire-based surveys, and a total of 375 patients were enrolled in the study. The eligibility criteria included all adult patients diagnosed with allergic rhinitis. Results Most of the patients had used intranasal corticosteroids. However, only two-fifths of patients stated these medications were effective and only 27% thought they were safe to use. More than half of the patients expressed concerns about using intranasal corticosteroids; however, there was no difference among the patients when asked if their concerns made them discontinue their medication. The majority of patients (73.3%) did not receive appropriate advice on how to use intranasal corticosteroids, but most were compliant with the therapy regardless of their uncertainty about the medication's safety (71.5%). Most patients reported a benefit of using intranasal corticosteroids (71.5%). Half of the patients (53.9%) reported being aware of a special technique for how to use a nasal spray, but the nonsmokers were more knowledgeable about the techniques than the smokers (p = 0.007). Conclusion The patients' knowledge about, adherence to, and perceptions of intranasal corticosteroid use were found to be suboptimal. Patients' age, gender, socioeconomic status, education level, and smoking status were recognized as potential barriers to a positive perception of and adherence to the treatment plan. Corrective measures are needed to ensure better health outcomes.

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BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major health problem, which is of increasing concern because of rising yearly incidence and estimated cost. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential to manage AD effectively and improve the outcomes. Inadequate knowledge can delay the diagnosis. General practitioners should play a more effective role in the identification and diagnosis of AD, and medical education is key to solving this issue. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the knowledge of undergraduate medical students and to identify the factors that influenced their knowledge. METHODS: This study used a quantitative cross-sectional evaluation of 327 Saudi Arabian medical students from the first and final years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, who participated in an online survey via email between March and May 2018. Knowledge of AD was assessed using the 12-item AD Knowledge Test for Health Professionals from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB ADKT). General linear models were used to identify the most significant influence on AD knowledge scores. RESULTS: Only 10.73% of first-year and 33.33% of final-year students scored ≥ 50% on the UAB ADKT. Students pursuing specialties related to AD (adult neurology, geriatrics, or psychiatry) and students aged ≥ 27 years had higher scores (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Undergraduate medical students lacked proper knowledge of AD, suggesting that improvements in education programs can help. Future studies are needed to assess the quality and effectiveness of AD education in the curriculum of Saudi medical schools.

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RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of burnout and its associated risk factors in radiology residents in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in February 2019, and all radiology residents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were invited to complete a survey that contained a validated measure of burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey) alongside possible predictors of burnout. RESULTS: A total of 108 responses were received, for a response rate of 49.7%. High overall burnout was reported by 24.1% of respondents, high emotional exhaustion (EE) by 56.5%, high depersonalization by 31.5%, and low sense of personal accomplishment (PA) by 64.8%. The significant predictors of burnout included satisfaction with work/life balance (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.03 to 0.43, p = 0.002) and exercising (OR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.1 to 1, p = 0.07). Married residents were more prone to have a low sense of PA in addition to dissatisfied residents with hospital staff appreciation (OR = 4.8, 95% CI = 1.48 to 15.5, p = 0.01) and (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.37 to 0.94, p = 0.03), respectively. CONCLUSION: One-fourth of the radiology residents studied showed high rates of burnout, and more than half the residents reported high rates of EE. The residents scored very poorly in the sense of PA. The radiology residents who were satisfied with their work/life balance had lower burnout rates, in addition to lower EE and a higher sense of PA.

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OBJECTIVES: The College of Medicine at Imam University has incorporated reciprocal peer-teaching into the curriculum in the form of peer-led seminars. The aim was to evaluate this program and ascertain student perceptions. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of medical students attached to the Internal Medicine I and II courses was conducted in 2018. The questionnaire evaluated perceptions about the peer-teaching program, tutors' knowledge, skills and attitudes, both from a student and a tutor perspective. RESULTS: Based on a 63% response rate from a total of 410 students, 34.5% of learners agreed that peer-tutoring was the most effective method of clinical teaching and 30.3% disagreed. More students reported that peer-led seminars did not prepare them for their exams (38.4%) compared to those who reported it did (27.9%). More than 40% of participants reported the tutors were approachable, created a welcoming learning environment and provided targeted information. From a tutor perspective, more than 70% of participants reported that they developed personally and professionally, improved their collaborative, communication, tutoring and presentation skills and confidence. Female students reported they benefited more as tutors compared to male students. CONCLUSION: Students regard obligatory reciprocal peer-teaching in the form of peer-led seminars as similar to faculty teaching and an overwhelming majority report that they benefit both personally and professionally from leading seminars. As doctors are expected to teach and train younger generations, medical schools should prepare all students for such roles. A system that provides an opportunity for every student to become a peer-teacher can fulfil this need.

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OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and care-seeking practices of parents towards childhood ear infections in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between April and June 2018. An online survey was sent to a random selection of parents who were ≥18 years old with children of ≤10 years old. Associations between parental knowledge, attitude, care-seeking practices, socioeconomic status, level of education and age were assessed using the chi square test and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 782 subjects participated in this study (response rate: 78.2%). Most respondents were knowledgeable (76.2%), had a positive attitude (78.9%) and had positive care-seeking practices (89.5%). There was a statistically significant difference on both bivariate and multivariate analyses (P <0.05) between parental care seeking practice and knowledge. Parents who sought modern approaches to treatment were found to be almost nine times more likely to have a good attitude towards ear infections than those who did not seek treatment (odds ratio = 8.907, 95% confidence interval = 2.655-34.928; P <0.001). A statistically significant relationship was found between good care-seeking practice and age, as well as socioeconomic status (P <0.05 each). CONCLUSION: This study showed that knowledge, attitude and practice regarding paediatric ear infections were positive in the majority of parents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Future studies should assess other factors that enhance the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding ear infections.

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OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate knowledge of and attitudes toward the lumbar puncture procedure among adults in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia, 2018. METHODS: This study used a quantitative cross-sectional evaluation of the responses of adults aged ⩾18 years from the Saudi Telecom Company database in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia to an online survey between October and December 2018. The questionnaire included questions on knowledge, attitudes, and demography. The questionnaire was pretested and validated (Cronbach's alpha = 0.701). RESULTS: Of 1500 questionnaires, 1223 (81.5%) were returned and included in the analysis. In the study, 57.7% of the participants were aged 18-25 years, and 58.5% of the participants were females. Only 235 (19.2%) participants had an accepted knowledge level of lumbar puncture. The attitudes of the majority of the participants (n = 1151, 94%) to lumbar puncture were acceptable. A multivariate logistic regression test revealed a significant association between an acceptable knowledge level and acceptable attitude level (odds ratio = 2.30, 95% confidence interval = 1.06-5.66). A significant association was also found with ages over 46 years old (odds ratio = 12.99, 95% confidence interval = 4.45-37.9). The attitudes level toward lumbar puncture had a significant negative association among the participants who had a fear of injections in the lumbar region (odds ratio = 0.46, 95% confidence interval = 0.3-0.68). CONCLUSION: There is a lack of appropriate knowledge of the lumbar puncture procedure among the public which predict an unacceptable attitude toward lumbar puncture. Improvements in public education could improve public awareness of the clinical importance/value and complications of lumbar puncture.

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Background: The SaudiMEDs framework was founded and adopted by the Saudi Deans' Committee in 2011 to ensure that Saudi medical graduates learned core competencies. Meanwhile, CanMEDs was established by the Canadian Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1996 and aimed to establish the abilities and skills of all aspects of medical practice, as well as to ensure the acquisition of basic knowledge related to medical education. The main purpose of this study was to explore the similarities and differences between both frameworks. Methods: In March and April 2017, 15 researchers conducted an extensive review of both the SaudiMEDs and CanMEDs frameworks using a semi-quantitative evaluation with color codes to determine the following: the exact similarities in both frameworks, the close similarities, and the unique differences. Results: According to the coloring system, most of the frameworks were similar. For example, Leadership, Communication and Professionalism were almost identical in both frameworks. There was some degree of similarity between both frameworks in "Collaborator". Furthermore, the SaudiMEDs framework had a unique input which involved the most essential skills that undergraduate medical students must acquire. Conclusion: SaudiMEDs has great potential to improve the quality of Saudi medical graduates in a manner that fits our current and future needs. CanMEDs focuses mainly on outcomes and processes, while SaudiMEDs focuses more on outcomes. SaudiMEDs was not created to provide a copy-and-paste curriculum. The ultimate goal was to create an outcome-based curriculum that ensures the quality of Saudi medical school graduates.

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OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between emergency department (ED) visits, glycemic control and the quality of preventive diabetes care among diabetic patients in a Saudi community. Methods: This study was an observational, cross-sectional study that collected data through interview-based surveys between February and April 2017. Data were collected from 530 diabetic patients in the diabetes clinics at King Saud Medical City, the tertiary center of Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  Results: This study found statistically significant relationships (p less than 0.05) between ED visits and patient age, the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and education level. Emergency department visits increased by 43% for each unit of increase in HbA1c (odds ratio [OR]=1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.26-1.62). Graduating from high school decreased the odds of visiting the ED by 43% (OR=0.57, 95% CI=0.34-0.94). Most of the participants were not followed for possible microvascular complications; the majority did not visit nephrology (96.2%), ophthalmology (78.3%) and neurology (97.9%) clinics within the 12 months prior to the interviews. Conclusion: Emergency department visits can indicate poor glycemic control in diabetic patients. Additionally, the current practices of preventive diabetes care in Saudi Arabia are not sufficient, according to the diabetic standards of care recommended by the American Diabetes Association.

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Awareness of the patients to the differences between ophthalmologists and optometrists has been recognized as an important factor influencing patient utilization of available eye care services. This study aimed at assessing the public's knowledge of the differences between ophthalmologists and optometrists among the residents of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was administered to adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from January to February in 2018. The number of the respondents was 1579. Results show that 50% (n=789) of the participants had fair knowledge of the differences between ophthalmologists and optometrists, while 32% (n=505) had poor knowledge. After multivariate logistic regression analysis, there was a significant association between satisfactory knowledge and visiting an optometrist (odds ratio (OR): 0.75, 95% CI: 0.57-0.98), age older than 26 (OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.17-1.19), higher level of education (OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.54-2.4), and wearing spectacles (OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.45-0.73). Given the low level of public knowledge regarding the differences in the duties between ophthalmologist and optometrists among a Saudi population, there is great potential for general population education through awareness campaign and social media regarding eye care provider's duties and practices.

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BACKGROUND: Worldwide, stroke is considered the second leading cause of death, accounting for 11.8% of all deaths in 2013. In the Unites States (US), approximately 795,000 people have a stroke every year. Stroke has many different risk factors that vary by race/ethnicity. There is limited contemporary published literature about the prevalence of stroke among racial/ethnic groups in the US adult population. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the association between race/ethnicity and the prevalence of stroke among US adults in 2015. METHODS: This study was an observational, non-concurrent prospective of the Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in 2015 to assess the association between race/ethnicity and the prevalence of stroke. The final study sample was 432,814 US adults ≥ 18 years old. Variables were excluded from the model if there were missing, refused, or did not know responses to the variables of interest. A binary logistic regression analysis was used to obtain odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between race/ethnicity and stroke. The Chi-square test was used to study bivariate associations between categorical variables. The collinearity was assessed. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was completed using STATA version 14 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX). RESULTS: The highest proportion of participants (43%) were ≥ 44 years old with a balanced distribution of males and females. The highest proportion of stroke was found among Hispanics (4.2%) and non-Hispanic Blacks (4.1%) as compared to 3.2% among non-Hispanic Whites (p<0.001). Furthermore, Hispanics and Blacks were significantly more likely to develop stroke (OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.28-1.91; and OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.16-1.45, respectively) after adjusting for confounding variables. CONCLUSION: Hispanics and Blacks had a higher prevalence of stroke in comparison with non-Hispanic Whites. Further studies are needed to verify these findings and to determine which factors may influence the stroke differences among these racial/ethnic groups.