Healthcare Corporation Research Articles

Primary care dental professionals' experiences of sharp injuries in Qatar: A cross-sectional study.

Very few studies assess sharp injuries solely among dental professionals globally. This study aims to understand the experiences of sharp injuries among primary care dental professionals in Qatar. This is a cross-sectional study where dental professionals working at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), a public sector healthcare organization and Qatar's largest primary care provider with 27 primary healthcare centers in Qatar, were invited to participate. An online questionnaire was administered to understand participants' experience of sharp injuries and access to occupational health services and training. A total of 114 dental professionals participated in this study. In total, 68.42% (N=78) of participants reported experiencing a sharp injury in the 12months prior to the survey. Majority (N=58; 75.36%) of the reported causes of sharp injuries were related to dental explorers (N=31; 40.26%) and dental injection needles (N=27; 40.26%). Of those who had experienced a sharp injury, 84.47% (N=87) did not report them. In conclusion, the results highlight that sharp injuries are common among primary care dental professionals, and despite having good access to occupational support services, most dental professionals did not report their injuries. Continuous education and training programs must be implemented to improve knowledge and raise awareness to reduce the burden of sharp injuries among dental professionals. More studies from other dental settings are needed to better understand dental professionals' experiences of sharp injuries in Qatar and elsewhere.

Modified Periosteal Inhibition (MPI) Technique for Extraction Sockets: A Case Series Report

Several Alveolar Ridge Preservation (ARP) procedures have been proposed over the years. The purpose of this study was to describe the new Modified Periosteal Inhibition (MPI) technique for ARP. Seven patients were enrolled (age range: 28–72 years old; 5 males, 2 females). In total, nine hopeless teeth were treated. Following the elevation of a full-thickness flap, atraumatic tooth extraction was conducted, preserving the buccal bone of the alveolar socket. OsteoBiol® Lamina Soft (Tecnoss®, Giaveno, Italy), 0.5 mm thick, was suitably shaped (8–10 mm in height, extending from the mesial and to the distal corners of the socket). The lamina was gently positioned between the buccal periosteum and the buccal bone plate. Tisseel® (Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Deerfield, IL, USA) was applied to seal the cortical membrane. The flaps were sutured with PTFE 4-0 (Omnia, Fidenza, Italy). Postoperative instructions were provided. Patients were strictly monitored during the follow-up. No early or late biological complications were experienced. Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) exams were performed at baseline and 4 months later. The thickness of the buccal cortical bone at baseline was 1.18 ± 0.57 mm. The pre-operative and post-operative ridge widths were 10.74 ± 1.54 mm and 11.16 ± 1.57 mm, respectively. A horizontal ridge increase of 0.41 ± 0.21 mm was observed during the healing period. At 4 months of healing, the bone volume was adequate for implant placement and no additional bone regeneration procedures were required. MPI technique was effective in preventing the horizontal contraction of the post-extraction socket. Further studies will be needed in the future to confirm our positive results.

Assessment of Primary Care Physicians' Perception of Telemedicine Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar.

While telemedicine has been extensively researched throughout the globe, the Middle East has seen relatively little research on the topic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the primary care physicians' perceptions of the use of telemedicine, as well as its hurdles and benefits, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the state of Qatar. In this multicenter cross-sectional study, an internally validated questionnaire was distributed among primary care physicians utilizing telemedicine during the pandemic at Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), the main primary care provider in Qatar. A convenience sample was taken due to the pandemic restrictions. Out of 254 analyzed questionnaires, about half of the physicians (48%) had used telemedicine in the past primarily in the form of telephone consultations. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of physicians agreed that telemedicine is an easy way to communicate during the pandemic, but only half (52%) felt it improved job performance and effectiveness. Most physicians (90%) agreed that telemedicine is safe during the pandemic, but opinion was split on whether an optimum assessment of COVID-19 disease could be conducted. The majority also considered telemedicine an effective tool for chronic disease reviews (63%) and other consultations such as blood test results and medicine prescriptions (71%). The most significant barrier to telemedicine use was a language barrier followed by a lack of proper training. About 79% of responders felt that telemedicine improves access to healthcare and assists in contacting difficult-to-reach individuals, and 74% also thought it minimizes no-shows in the clinics. Our study has shown that most physicians felt comfortable and safer using telemedicine as an alternative means to conduct consultations during the pandemic. Keeping in view its advantages, the majority suggested that it could be incorporated into daily practice even beyond the pandemic. However, concerns were raised about its use to assess COVID-19 disease, lack of training, and potential barriers such as language differences. Further studies are needed to assess the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of telemedicine as well as the evaluation of alternative media such as video consultation, which could increase the utility of telemedicine and potentially mitigate some of its disadvantages.

COVID-19 Vaccine Equity: Codesigning Public Health Interventions with Community Partners.

COVID-19 Vaccine Equity: Codesigning Public Health Interventions with Community Partners.

Association of Serum Vitamin D level and COVID-19 infection: A Case-control Study.

Vitamin D is considered a potent modulator of the immune system, albeit its role in COVID-19 infection is a matter of debate. The present study aimed to estimate the association between serum vitamin D levels and COVID-19 among people in Qatar. This case-control study, approved by the Institutional Review Board of Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) Qatar, retrospectively evaluated the principal public healthcare sector population data repository retrieved from the cloud-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) software-Cerner, during April 2020-2021. The health records of all adult patients aged >18 years who had undergone the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test and whose medical records had documented serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25 (OH)D] levels were analyzed. A total of 924,173 EHRs were extracted, of which 62,451 EHR comprised of 16,446 (26.3%) COVID-19 patients and 46,005 (73.7%) negative-control group patients met the inclusion criteria. The odds ratio (OR) among different categories of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) revealed that people with mild/moderate VDD were 1.18 times (95% CI 1.126-1.258) and those with severe VDD were 1.90 times (95% CI 1.116-1.251) more likely to have COVID-19 infection when compared to the people with optimal serum vitamin D level. On applying multiple logistic regression, the odds of having COVID-19 infection were found to be 1.27 times (95% CI 1.184-1.371) higher among those with mild/moderate VDD and 1.32 times (95% CI 1.206-1.405) higher among those with severe VDD when compared to people with optimal vitamin D level (p<0.001). Our findings demonstrated a significant association between the suboptimal serum vitamin D level and COVID-19 infection. Further studies are required to determine the effects of VDD on the severity and outcomes of COVID-19 infections.

Value of project management during a crisis: Successes and lessons from three large projects in Qatar

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has tested the limits of national public health infrastructures to an unprecedented extent. A huge challenge has been regarding how to safely manage large public gatherings and how to efficiently administer vaccines to a large population. Method: We evaluated three case studies in project management implemented by the Primary Healthcare Corporation (PHCC) over the course of 2020 and 2021, including: COVID-19 screening for the HH Amir Cup and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Finals 2020, the FIFA Club World Cup 2020, and finally Qatar's National COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Project in the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) in 2021. Results: The key themes arising from all the three projects include the importance of developing a strategic plan, project management planning, clarifying and communicating roles and responsibilities, situational decision making, strong leadership, flexibility, result orientation in implementing the project, strong logistical support for providing necessary resources on the ground, and ensuring that staff at all levels are fully supported in performing their duties. In addition, the project management team was successful in building knowledge and experience across events with each successive project benefitting from lessons learned from previous projects. As a result of the strong record of project management established over the course of these experiences, PHCC was able to successfully manage the mass vaccination project with a high level of efficiency in comparison to similar national programs implemented elsewhere, both regionally and globally. Conclusion: The successful implementation of these projects, maintaining a high level of client and staff safety and satisfaction, demonstrates the value of project planning and continuous monitoring in successful implementation even in the context of uncertain conditions such as a global pandemic. Public and community health authorities may benefit by applying similar principles as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold.

Ability of combined soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor to predict preventable emergency attendance in older patients in Japan: a prospective pilot study.

Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a strong and nonspecific inflammatory biomarker that reflects various immunologic reactions, organ damage, and risk of mortality in the general population. Although prior research in acute medical patients showed that an elevation in suPAR is related to intensive care unit admission and risk of readmission and mortality, no studies have focused on the predictive value of suPAR for preventable emergency attendance (PEA). This study aims to evaluate the predictive value of suPAR, which consists of a combination of white blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), for PEA in older patients (>65 years) without trauma who presented to the emergency department (ED). This single-center prospective pilot study was conducted in the ED of the Association of EISEIKAI Medical and Healthcare Corporation Minamitama Hospital, in Hachiouji City, Tokyo, Japan, from September 16, 2020, to June 21, 2022. The study included all patients without trauma aged 65 years or older who were living in their home or a facility and presented to the ED when medical professionals decided an emergency consultation was required. Discrimination was assessed by plotting the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calculating the area under the ROC curve (AUC). During the study period, 49 eligible older patients were included, and thirteen (26.5%) PEA cases were detected. The median suPAR was significantly lower in the PEA group than in the non-PEA group (p<0.05). For suPAR, the AUC for the prediction of PEA was 0.678 (95% CI 0.499-0.842, p<0.05), and there was no significant difference from other variables as follows: 0.801 (95% CI 0.673-0.906, p<0.001) for WBC, 0.833 (95% CI 0.717-0.934, p<0.001) for CRP, and 0.693 (95% CI 0.495-0.862, p<0.05) for NEWS. Furthermore, the AUC for predicting PEA was 0.867 (95% CI 0.741-0.959, p<0.001) for suPAR + WBC + CRP + NEWS, which was significantly higher than that of the original suPAR (p<0.01). The cutoff values, sensitivity, specificity, and odds ratio of suPAR and suPAR + WBC + CRP + NEWS were 7.5 and 22.88, 80.6% and 83.3%, 53.8% and 76.9%, and 4.83 and 16.67, respectively. This study has several limitations. First, this was pilot study, and we included a small number of older patients. Second, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred during the study period, so that there may be selection bias in the study population. Third, our hospital is a secondary emergency medical institution, and as such, we did not treat very fatal cases, which could be another cause of selection bias. Our single-center study has demonstrated the moderate utility of the combined suPAR as a triage tool for predicting PEA in older patients without trauma receiving home medical care. Before introducing suPAR to the prehospital setting, evidence from multicenter studies is needed.

Clinical Audit on Detection of Tuberculosis at Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar

Clinical Audit on Detection of Tuberculosis at Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar

Seasonal influenza disease and annual influenza vaccine coverage at Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar, 2018–2019: a descriptive study

Background: Influenza is the most common communicable disease in the State of Qatar. The objective of this study was to describe the occurrence of seasonal influenza and influenza vaccine uptake, as well as to analyze whether influenza vaccine efficacy during the 2018/2019 season was met. Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) plays an important role in influenza disease surveillance and annual influenza vaccine administration in the country. Therefore, specific data available from this organization would reflect on the surveillance standards in place. However, data on influenza disease burden and vaccination coverage for the season was limited. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on the retrospective data of influenza-like illness (ILI) cases confirmed during the 2018/2019 influenza season by PHCC and the number of people who received the annual influenza vaccine in PHCC during the same season. Results: ILI and influenza data: A total of 998 ILI cases were considered for this study. Laboratory testing was carried out among 88.5% of the cases. Type A and B infection contributed to 63.4% and 36.4% of the influenza cases, respectively. Furthermore, 87% (n=415) of the total influenza cases were not vaccinated with the season’s influenza vaccine, and 69% (n=18) of the total vaccinated ILI cases (n=26) tested negative for influenza. Influenza vaccine campaign data: Overall, 42,476 individuals were vaccinated with the annual influenza vaccine in PHCC for the 2018/2019 season. Influenza vaccine was administered to 52.3% of people with any one risk factor (mostly chronic diseases) for severe disease due to influenza. Conclusions: The findings of this study on influenza seasonality and etiology were similar to that on previous seasons in the region. Recommendations focused on accurate and elaborate data collection and future research on the factors facilitating influenza vaccine uptake and vaccine effectiveness.

Effectiveness of a COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout in a Highly Affected American Indian Community, San Carlos Apache Tribe, December 2020-February 2021.

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected American Indian Tribes, including the San Carlos Apache Tribe, which resides on 1.8 million acres in Arizona and has 16 788 official members. High vaccination rates among American Indian/Alaska Native people in the United States have been reported, but information on how individual Tribes achieved these high rates is scarce. We describe the COVID-19 epidemiology and vaccine rollout in the San Carlos Apache Tribe using data extracted from electronic health records from the San Carlos Apache Healthcare Corporation (SCAHC). By mid-December 2020, 19% of the San Carlos Apache population had received a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Tribe prioritized for vaccination population groups with the highest risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes (eg, those aged ≥65 years, who had a 46% risk of hospitalization if infected vs 13% overall). SCAHC achieved high early COVID-19 vaccination rates in the San Carlos community relative to the state of Arizona (47.6 vs 25.2 doses per 100 population by February 27, 2021). These vaccination rates reflected several strategies that were implemented to achieve high COVID-19 vaccine access and uptake, including advance planning, departmental vaccine education sessions within SCAHC, radio and Facebook postings featuring Tribal leaders in the Apache language, and pop-up community vaccine clinics. The San Carlos Apache Tribe's vaccine rollout strategy was an early success story and may provide a model for future vaccination campaigns in other Tribal nations and rural communities in the United States.

Cardiovascular Risks and Outcome in COVID-19 Positive Patients With Cardiovascular Disease Attending Primary Health Care Corporation in Qatar: A Retrospective Cohort Study

BackgroundCoronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) are at a higher risk of morbidity and mortality. This study describes the risks and outcome in COVID-19 patients with CVD attending Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) settings in Qatar. ObjectiveTo report whether CVD increases the risk for hospitalization and further complications in COVID-19 patients. MethodsRetrospective cohort study. ResultsA total of 10,178 CVD patients’ data who tested positive for COVID-19 were extracted from electronic medical records on the basis of inclusion criteria and analyzed during the period of February 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 (11 months). Among the patients included in the study, 64% (n=6527) were men and 36% (n=3651) were women; 23% (n=2299) were Qataris and 77% (n=7879) were non-Qataris. Among the selected age group of greater than 25 to less than 75 years, the median age was 50.83 years. More than half of the patients had diabetes (69.6%; n=7086) followed by hypertension (68.4%; n=6965) and dyslipidemia (45.1%; n=4590). Other comorbidities were obesity (18.3%; n=1862), kidney disease (6.5%; n=659), hematologic problems (4.2%; n=425), liver disorders (1.4%; n=142), rheumatic heart disease (1.3%; n=131) and neurologic symptoms (1.3%; n=128). Multivariate analysis for factors associated with inpatient admissions in last 28 days for patients with CVD reported that patients with age greater than 70 years are 2.8 (1.86-4.18) times higher risk of hospital admission as compared with the patients 25-30 years of age. ConclusionThe pre-existing CVD with age and other comorbidities predict the risk for hospitalization and further complications in patients with COVID-19. Further studies are needed to investigate the data from primary and secondary care about the long-term cardiovascular outcomes of patients who have survived COVID-19.

Effectiveness of vitamin D2 compared with vitamin D3 replacement therapy in a primary healthcare setting: a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide public health concern, which can lead to severe diseases, such as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Most studies have compared equimolar unit-to-unit doses of vitamin D2 and D3.Objectives: The current study aimed to answer the research question: “How effective is vitamin D2 (600,000 U/1.5 ml) compared to vitamin D3 (300,000 U/1 ml) parenteral supplementation for raising serum vitamin D levels in adult patients treated in a primary health care setting?”Setting: Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) runs 28 health centers distributed throughout the State of Qatar and its capital city, Doha. Qatar is on the east coast of the Arabic peninsula, with very hot and sunny summers and a desert climate.Study design: This was a retrospective observational cohort study.Method: A total of 15,716 participants were recruited following ethical approval. They were identified by electronic medical records (EMR) describing the clinical encounters of individuals aged 18 to 60-years-old who attended a health center operated by the PHCC during the 3.5-year study period from January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020. The PHCC EMR system uses SNOMED codes (a systematically organized computer-processable collection of medical terms providing codes, names, synonyms, and definitions implemented for clinical documentation and reporting). Four study groups were created depending on the type of vitamin D injection and the oral form of replacement therapy. The analysis scheme used the serum vitamin D level within the preceding 4 weeks (pretreatment), followed by administration of the treatment dose. The post-treatment serum testing value should have been available within a maximum of 12 weeks. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBMSPSS; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) version 23 software was used for the statistical analysis.Results: Four treatment options were compared, including a vitamin D2 injection, a vitamin D3 injection, combined use of a vitamin D2 injection + a D2 tablet, and combined use of a vitamin D3 injection + a D2 tablet. All four treatment groups were associated with a statistically significant increase in serum vitamin D within a maximum of 12 weeks of follow-up. The vitamin D2 injection alone was associated with the lowest increase in serum concentration by a mean of 3.2 ng/ml. In contrast, the vitamin D3 injection alone or with a D2 tablet increased serum vitamin D by 6.1 and 5.6 ng/ml, respectively. Using the combination of a vitamin D2 injection and a tablet only added a marginal increase of 2.3 ng/ml in serum vitamin D on top of the 3.2 ng/ml increase attained after administering the D2 injection alone.Conclusion: Utilizing vitamin D3 in an injectable form is the best choice to restore severe vitamin D deficiency. Furthermore, it was superior to the injectable form of vitamin D2, even though vitamin D2 has double the molar units.

Understanding the epidemiological characteristics of the primary healthcare corporation-based COVID-19 swabbed persons in Qatar, 2020.

Background: In March 2020, Qatar started reporting increased numbers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). National preventive measures were implemented, and a testing plan was developed to respond to the pandemic with the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) as the central element. PHCC is the main public primary healthcare provider in Qatar and it operates in 27 health centers with around 1.4 million registered individuals as of January 1, 2020. The latter population was distributed across four main nationality groups; Middle Eastern and North African (51.5%), Asian (41.2%), African (2.4%), and others (5.1%). At the primary healthcare level in Qatar, this study describes the epidemiological characteristics of individuals registered at PHCC who had contracted COVID-19 in 2020 during the first wave before the vaccination phase and examines the factors associated with the positivity rate.Methods: Retrospective data analysis was conducted for persons screened for SARS-CoV-2 in primary healthcare health centers in Qatar between March 11 and December 31, 2020. The study analyzed the demographic characteristics of the tested persons and noncommunicable disease burden, positivity rate by month, nationality, and age-group, and the factors associated with the positivity rate.Results: Between March 11 and December 31, 2020, PHCC tested 379,247 persons for SARS-CoV-2, with a median age (IQR) of 32 (21–42) years. Of these, 57.0% were from the Middle East and North Africa, and 32.5% were originally from Asia. Overall, 10.9% had diabetes mellitus and 11.3% had hypertension. The epidemiological curve showed a steep increase in the positivity rate from March till May 2020, at the highest rate of 37.5% in May 2020. The highest positivity rate was observed among Asian males at 15.7%. The positivity rate was the lowest among the age-group aged 60 years and above. It was almost the same among the tested persons for SARS-CoV-2 in the three main age groups (0–18, 19–39, 40–59) at 10.1%, 12.3%, and 12.2%, respectively. In a multi regression model, being a male was associated with a higher risk (OR 1.15; 95% CI 1.13–1.17). Asians were at higher risk than those originally from the Middle East and North Africa (OR 1.29; 95% CI 1.27–1.32). COVID-19 infection was higher among those presenting clinical symptoms than asymptomatic individuals (OR. 4.52; 95% CI 4.42–4.64).Conclusion: The epidemic among the PHCC-registered population predominantly affected younger ages and males, namely, coming from Asia. At the primary healthcare level, the COVID-19 infection rate was higher among those who presented with clinical symptoms. The lowest positivity rate among individuals >60 years may reflect the effectiveness of public health measures related to the high-risk group. Scaled-up testing at the primary healthcare level helped to detect more cases during the peak of the first wave and was reflected in a steady increase in the positivity rate flattened later due to the established public health measures.

Perceptions of Family Physicians About Applying AI in Primary Health Care: Case Study From a Premier Health Care Organization.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI), which was not previously anticipated; this is an unforeseen development. The use of AI in health care settings is increasing, as it proves to be a promising tool for transforming health care systems, improving operational and business processes, and efficiently simplifying health care tasks for family physicians and health care administrators. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the perspective of family physicians on AI and its impact on their job roles. This study aims to determine the impact of AI on the management and practices of Qatar's Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in improving health care tasks and service delivery. Furthermore, it seeks to evaluate the impact of AI on family physicians' job roles, including associated risks and ethical ramifications from their perspective. We conducted a cross-sectional survey and sent a web-based questionnaire survey link to 724 practicing family physicians at the PHCC. In total, we received 102 eligible responses. Of the 102 respondents, 72 (70.6%) were men and 94 (92.2%) were aged between 35 and 54 years. In addition, 58 (56.9%) of the 102 respondents were consultants. The overall awareness of AI was 80 (78.4%) out of 102, with no difference between gender (P=.06) and age groups (P=.12). AI is perceived to play a positive role in improving health care practices at PHCC (P<.001), managing health care tasks (P<.001), and positively impacting health care service delivery (P<.001). Family physicians also perceived that their clinical, administrative, and opportunistic health care management roles were positively influenced by AI (P<.001). Furthermore, perceptions of family physicians indicate that AI improves operational and human resource management (P<.001), does not undermine patient-physician relationships (P<.001), and is not considered superior to human physicians in the clinical judgment process (P<.001). However, its inclusion is believed to decrease patient satisfaction (P<.001). AI decision-making and accountability were recognized as ethical risks, along with data protection and confidentiality. The optimism regarding using AI for future medical decisions was low among family physicians. This study indicated a positive perception among family physicians regarding AI integration into primary care settings. AI demonstrates significant potential for enhancing health care task management and overall service delivery at the PHCC. It augments family physicians' roles without replacing them and proves beneficial for operational efficiency, human resource management, and public health during pandemics. While the implementation of AI is anticipated to bring benefits, the careful consideration of ethical, privacy, confidentiality, and patient-centric concerns is essential. These insights provide valuable guidance for the strategic integration of AI into health care systems, with a focus on maintaining high-quality patient care and addressing the multifaceted challenges that arise during this transformative process.

Hospital and Blood Donar Finding System using Android

The fast increase of information and communication technology (ICTs) makes it viable to apply them to a international healthcare corporation. Many features are covered in this android app .Distinctive styles of health facility search apps built on android smartphones that assist humans in want. The affected person can seek advice from scientific centers based on his or her wishes. This app presents available health center and physician statistics based totally at the affected person's immediately region. The nearest role of the clinical center is calculated by means of the internal-grained GPS energy of the smartphone. A elucidative in keeping with-lustration of different hospitals in Pondicherry become advanced to attain a scientific list of scientific personnel available at every scientific facility. This app is released with simply one click on when you are facing a restriction. With a one-click hospital provider, the consumer can locate close by hospitals with centers and show a listing of available specialist doctors and the consumer can view and phone your nearest blood donor. Interested users also can sign in as members the use of this app. Our application considerably reduces the time required to searching out blood donors and hospitals for the required blood organization and the scientific facilities wanted regionally. Consequently, our utility affords the vital records (effects) in a short time and allows making selections quicker.

A 12-month retrospective study of outcomes of COVID-19 drive-through swabbing hubs’ screening of asymptomatic population in Qatar

Background There are gaps in understanding the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among asymptomatic persons in the Middle East including Qatar. The aim of the study was to estimate the point prevalence of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), testing positivity rates and risk factors associated with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positivity among asymptomatic people identified through active population surveillance. Methods This study was based on a retrospective identification of asymptomatic adults who have not been previously diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. It includes subjects who were tested using RT-PCR between June 1st , 2020 and May 31st of 2021 at the Primary Health Care Corporation’s (PHCC) drive-through testing hubs. The testing data was extracted from the national SARS-CoV-2 PCR database. Sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities were extracted from the medical records. Results A total of 148,735 subjects were tested; 5,848 positives, corresponding to a point prevalence of 3.93 (95% confidence interval, CI=3.83-4.03). RT-PCR positivity was higher among women and younger people (30-49 years old; P&lt; 0.001). Logistic regression identified age, nationality, chronic comorbidity, and geographical location as significant predictors of asymptomatic infection. The adjusted odds of positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test were lower among older people, with the odds ratio 0.81 (95% CI=0.75-0.88), and those with multiple chronic conditions 0.87 (95% CI=0.81-0.94). The odds of a positive SARS-CoV-2 were higher among persons from South Asian nationalities . Residents of Central and Western regions had higher odds at 3.37 (95% CI=3.05-3.73) and 1.86 (95% CI=1.68-2.07), respectively. Hypertension (12.8%) and diabetes (12.1%) were the most common comorbidities detected among asymptomatic subjects. Conclusions Active community testing implemented through the PHCC’s drive-through swabbing hubs offers a valuable opportunity to identify asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and reduce the spread of the disease.

Occupational Prevention of COVID-19 Among Healthcare Workers in Primary Healthcare Settings: Compliance and Perceived Effectiveness of Personal Protective Equipment.

It is crucial for healthcare workers (HCWs) to comply with infection prevention and control precautions such as the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for their safety and the safety of patients. In this study, we aimed to assess HCWs' compliance with the appropriate use of PPE in primary healthcare settings in Qatar along with its associated factors and explore their perceived effectiveness of different PPE items in protecting against COVID-19 infection. A Web-based survey was conducted between November 2020 and January 2021 targeting all clinical HCWs under the umbrella of Primary Health Care Corporation. A total of 757 HCWs completed the survey, and most were between 30 and 39 years of age (50.2%), females (62.7%), and nurses (35.3%). Eighty eight percent of participants believed that PPE could provide high or very high protection against COVID-19. About one-half (53%) were found to be fully compliant with PPE use during patient interactions with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, whereas three-quarters (76.3%) were fully compliant while performing aerosol-generating procedures. Healthcare workers' age, nationality, health center region, area of work, clinical experience, frequency of interaction with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, and the perceived effectiveness of PPE were significant predictors of full compliance with PPE. Shortage of PPE was the commonest reported barrier to appropriate use. Despite HCWs' high perceived effectiveness for PPE in protecting against COVID-19 infection, their full compliance rate with using PPE was moderate and needs further improvement.

Pharmaceutical Care Service at Primary Health Care Centers: An Insight on Patient Satisfaction

Background Patient's health care experiences and satisfaction are frequently used as a healthcare quality indicator. Aim The study aims to evaluate the level of patient satisfaction with the pharmacy services provided at the Primary Health Care Corporation's (PHCC) pharmacies in Qatar. Methods This study is a cross-sectional survey conducted in December of 2019. The study's setting is the Primary Health Care centers' pharmacies. All adult patients (≥18 years old) with mobile phone numbers documented on file who had their prescription orders filled at the PHCC's pharmacy units in 2019 were included in the study. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used to present the findings. The significance level was set at the alpha level of 0.05. Results The usable responses were 9,564 from the total participants. Around 55.2% (N = 5,283) were males, 56.5% (N = 5,405) were in the age group (25–40), 19.2% (N = 1,837) were Qatari nationals, 39.7% (N = 3,801) had their medication dispensed in the Central Region of the State of Qatar, and 72.8% (N = 6,964) had at least undergraduate or higher degrees. The overall mean (SD) satisfaction score was (3.24 ± 0.629). Participants were less satisfied with their pharmacist's communication, especially offering information about medication's side effects (2.61 ± 1.2) and general health counselling (2.39 ± 1.2). Respondents were also less satisfied with waiting time (3.02 ± 1.3). Waiting time, gender, age, nationality, geographical region of the pharmacy, educational level, and familiarity with the PHCC were significantly associated with satisfaction level. Conclusion The patients were reasonably satisfied, and the satisfaction level differed among different sociodemographic groups. Based on the public's needs and expectations, pharmacists need to continuously improve their effort to enhance the healthcare quality in the organization.

Research hotspots and emerging trends of automated peritoneal dialysis: A bibliometric analysis from 2000 to 2020.

The implementation of automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) has considerably increased in many countries. We conducted a bibliometric analysis to evaluate the accumulating studies on APD in the last two decades quantitatively and qualitatively. Publications regarding APD research between 2000 and 2020 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database by using the index term "automated peritoneal dialysis." CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and an online platform were employed to analyze the number of publications and the collaboration relationships between countries, institutions, authors, and co-cited journals. Cluster analysis and burst keywords detection were performed on co-cited references and keywords, respectively. We obtained a record of 545 publications related to APD in total. The United States was the country that contributes most, and Baxter Healthcare Corporation was the leading institution. Peritoneal Dialysis International was the most active journals in this field. Claudio Ranco was the most productive author, and Simon J Davies ranked the first in the cited authors. Co-cited reference cluster analysis and high frequency keywords showed that survival, ultrafiltration and peritonitis are continuous hot topics. While remote monitoring (RM) and telemedicine may be APD research frontiers according to burst keywords detection. This bibliometric study provides comprehensive overview on the publications of APD over the past two decades. These findings help to identify the hotspots and explore new directions for future research. RM has become an emerging trend in APD field.

Breast Cancer Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices amongst Women in Qatar.

This cross-sectional study examines knowledge, attitudes, and practices surrounding breast cancer awareness and screening among women residents in Qatar. Females, >18 years old, registered with the Primary Health Care Corporation were invited to complete an Arabic or English online survey using a modified version of the Breast Cancer Awareness Module. Of the 9008 participants, 69% report awareness of breast cancer warning signs, but the results did not substantiate these claims. There remains a disconnect between participants’ perceived awareness of their ability to detect breast cancer and their actual recognition of individual signs and symptoms. Nearly half (45.4%) report rarely or never checking their breasts for abnormalities (44.6%). Breast self-examination (BSE) and Breast Cancer Screening (BCS) uptake is low and many are unaware of the starting age for invitation to Qatar’s BCS program. While only 18% of women report receiving an invitation, 94% attended, indicating that the BCS invitation is a remarkably effective means of improving screening uptake. Policymakers should capitalize on early recognition, which is possible in the youthful population. Broadening awareness campaigns and interventions targeting a broader audience including males, community and religious leaders and healthcare professionals may prove more effective in Arab communities.