Primary Health Care Corporation Research Articles

Assessing the impact of annual health screenings in identifying noncommunicable disease risk factors within Qatar’s primary health care corporation Qatari registered population

BackgroundNoncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a significant global health burden, including in Qatar, where cardiovascular diseases cause mortality. This study examines the outcomes of the annual health checkup implemented by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in Qatar in detecting NCDs risk factors among Qataris aged 18+ years.MethodsA cross-sectional study design was implemented to calculate the prevalence of behavioural and metabolic NCDs risk factors among Qataris who underwent annual health checkups between 2017 and 2019. Data on age, gender, tobacco consumption, height, weight, blood pressure, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), and cholesterol levels were extracted from electronic medical records.ResultsIn 2019, Qatar experienced an 80% rise in Annual Health checkups attendance compared to 2017. Tobacco use fluctuated between 11.79 and 12.91%, peaking at 35.67% among males in 2018. Qataris with elevated blood pressure dropped from 29.44% in 2017 to 18.52% in 2019. Obesity decreased from 48.32 to 42.29%, more prevalent in females. High HbA1c levels reduced from 13.33 to 8.52%, while pre-diabetic levels rose from 21.1 to 25.52%. High cholesterol ranged from 7.31 to 9.47%. In a regression analysis, males had 2.28 times higher odds of elevated blood pressure and 1.54 times higher odds of high HbA1c, with a 0.68 lower odds of obesity compared to females. Ages 36 and above had 2.61 times higher odds of high cholesterol compared to younger age groups.ConclusionThe annual health screening has shown promising results in detecting and addressing NCDs risk factors among Qataris. The attendance rate has increased over the three-year period, and there has been a decrease in the prevalence of elevated blood pressure, obesity, and high HbA1c levels. However, tobacco consumption and pre-diabetic levels remain significant concerns. These findings can guide the implementation of tailored preventative and curative services to improve the health and well-being of the Qatari population.

Investigating the socio-demographic characteristics and smoking cessation incidence among smokers accessing smoking cessation services in primary care settings of Qatar, a Historical Cohort Study

BackgroundTobacco dependence is a chronic disease that often requires repeated interventions and multiple attempts to quit. Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of mortality. Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion people smoke.In Qatar, Smoking cessation services (SCSs) are provided free of charge to citizens and at a minimal cost to non-citizens. This study aimed to measure the effectiveness of the smoking cessation program adopted by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) of Qatar. This was achieved through calculating the percentage of smoking cessation service users (survival probabilities) who maintained the non-smoking status after selected follow up periods. Moreover, the study highlighted the possible association of selected explanatory variables with smoking cessation survival probabilities.MethodsIn this historical cohort study 490 participants were recruited by simple random sampling who attended the smoking cessation clinics (SCCs) in PHCC prior to 30/06/2021. The participants were contacted by phone and invited to participate in the study. The participants who agreed to participate in the study were interviewed utilizing a structured questionnaire.ResultsInitially 311 (63.5%) of the participants quitted smoking after receiving SCSs. There were statistically significant differences between quitting smoking and the nationality and the educational level of participants (p ≤ 0.001 and 0.02 respectively). About one fourth (23.3%) of individuals who initially quitted smoking relapsed and resumed smoking as early as 6 months after completing their SCC visits. This relapse rate increased to 38.7, 47.2 and 51.1% after 12, 24 and 36 months respectively. Less than a half (45.8%) maintained the non-smoking status after 42 months from their initially quitting.Conclusion and recommendationsThe findings of the study substantiate the effectiveness of SCSs designed within PHCC both in short- and long-term basis. Younger individuals, smokers with Arab ethnicity, smokers falling within high income and education groups were identified as high-risk groups and need highest focus. The accessibility to the service among the local population can be increased by upscaling the advertisement of the existing services.

Laboratory testing efficiency during the COVID pandemic: Findings from the Primary Health Care Corporation laboratories in the State of Qatar

BackgroundLittle is known about how the COVID-19 pandemic altered laboratory testing efficiency in the State of Qatar. The aim of this study was to assess laboratory testing efficiency with respect to the total number and proportion of C-reactive protein (CRP), complete blood count (CBC), and comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) tests completed on time in 2019–2021 in several ordinary and COVID-converted Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) health centers across Qatar. MethodsSecondary data from 2019 to 2021 were accessed from the PHCC-Clinical Information System center. Six randomly selected centers from three regions of Qatar (Northern, Central, and Western), two of which were COVID-converted, were analyzed. ResultsA total of 404,316 laboratory tests were analyzed. There were decreasing, U-shaped, and inverted-U-shaped patterns in the numbers of tests conducted in different regions between 2019 and 2021 according to test type. The proportion of urgent (STAT) CBC and CMP tests increased from 2019 to 2021, and the proportion of tests completed by COVID-converted health centers increased for CRP and CBC and decreased for CMP between 2019 and 2021. Northern and Western regions in Qatar showed higher efficiency than the Central region with respect to the proportion of STAT tests completed on time in 2019–2021. COVID-converted centers completed fewer STAT CBC tests on time than ordinary centers. ConclusionPandemics such as COVID-19 shift the allocation of resources from routine tests to urgent tests, as exemplified by the increase in STAT test proportions in 2019 to 2021. High population densities, as noted in the Central region of Qatar, may require additional resources during pandemics to complete urgent tests more efficiently. The conversion of centers to COVID-converted centers may not necessarily translate into higher urgent test efficiency, as exemplified by the STAT CBC test results.

Primary Care Physicians' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards Diabetic Foot Ulcer at Primary Healthcare Corporation, Qatar: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Primary Care Physicians' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards Diabetic Foot Ulcer at Primary Healthcare Corporation, Qatar: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Assessment of Qatar's Health Care Community Call Center Efficacy in Addressing COVID-19 Pandemic Health Care Challenges: Cross-Sectional Study.

The global COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 created many unprecedented challenges for health care organizations worldwide, placing a great deal of strain on the health care systems, especially access to health care services. To address these challenges, Qatar established a centralized digital platform as a community call center, initially offering digital consultations via its hotline (number: 16000) and later expanding to include a COVID-19 vaccination hotline (number: 7077) for mass immunization. This study aims to comprehensively examine the community call center's operations and their significant role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrospective data were collected from the Health Information and Technology Department of the Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar, from March 29, 2020, to January 27, 2022. Data analysis for the hotline (number: 16000) focused on telephone and video call volumes, call response rates, abandonment rates, and call classification. In addition, data from the COVID-19 vaccination hotline (number: 7077) were analyzed for call volumes, call response rates, abandonment rates, appointment booking rates, confirmations, rescheduling, and cancellations. The hotline (number: 16000) received a substantial total of 429,212 calls, with 284,849 (66.37%) calls effectively answered. The average number of calls received per day during the study period was 640.61 (SD 470.53), and the average number of calls answered per day was 425.14 (SD 206.64). Notably, of the total 128,468 consultations, video consultations were conducted for 3810 (2.96%). Among the diverse call categories, diabetes mellitus (6284/84,299, 7.45%), prescriptions and medications (4709/84,299, 5.59%), hypertension (3874/84,299, 4.6%), vitamin D-related issues (3770/84,299, 4.47%), upper respiratory tract infections (2690/84,299, 3.19%), and COVID-19-related inquiries (2590/84,299, 3.07%) were most frequently addressed. For the COVID-19 vaccination hotline (number: 7077), an impressive total of 1,512,354 calls were received, with a 58.27% (n=881,305) call response rate. The average number of calls per day during the study period was 3828.74 (SD 2931.94), and the average number of calls answered per day was 2231.15 (SD 1496.02). Appointment booking accounted for 26.37% (265,721/1,007,596), appointment confirmation accounted for 10.24% (103,136/1,007,596), rescheduling accounted for 7.95% (80,124/1,007,596), and cancellations accounted for 1.6% (16,128/1,007,596) of the calls. The findings of this research highlight the crucial significance of the community call center hotline (number: 16000) and the COVID-19 vaccination hotline (number: 7077) in effectively addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic. In Qatar, the community call center emerged as an indispensable and accessible centralized resource, facilitating streamlined digital consultations and vaccination appointments. The impressive call response rate highlights its operational efficiency, adeptly managing a diverse range of health-related issues. This study emphasizes the critical role of community call centers in health care emergency response, signaling their potential as invaluable assets for future preparedness and effective mitigation strategies during similar public health crises.

Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on diabetes mellitus management in Qatari primary care settings

IntroductionIn 2019, Coronavirus Diseases 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a pandemic making diabetic patients among the most vulnerable to this virus. Previous studies showed contradicting evidence for the impact of “lockdown” on the management of diabetic patients. New models of service delivery were introduced in Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) (Qatar’s largest primary care provider) to ameliorate the risk of infection to both patients and health care workers including converting face to face chronic disease appointments (NCD, antenatal, and preventive visits) to telephone and video consultations. This study aimed to compare access and outcomes of PHCC registered diabetics pre-COVID and during the COVID-19 lockdown period.MethodsThe study was conducted as a 3 year historic cohort using PHCC’s electronic health record system. Individuals with an established diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (DM) before January 2019 and having at least one clinical encounter per year in a PHCC health center during the study period starting Jan 2019 to Dec 2021 were recruited. Pre-COVID-19 period was defined as the interval between January 2019 and February 2020, while the COVID-19 lockdown period was defined as the interval between February 2020 to December 2021. The study used a paired observation approach on selected process indicators on delivery of health services in line with PHCC’s diabetes management guidelines (at least two HbA1C tests done per year and at least one each of the following per year—low-density lipids (LDL) test, ophthalmology screening, podiatry assessment, health education and dietetics clinic consultations) and outcome indicators (blood pressure readings and the results of two laboratory tests: blood HbA1c and serum LDL level).ResultsCOVID-19 was associated with an overall mean reduction of 0.9 per year of consultations. Similarly, the delivery of annual assessments as per guidelines were also impacted. Of these, the probability of achieving the designed target for two HbA1C tests per year was reduced by almost a half (paired OR=0.47) during COVID-19 compared to pre- COVID-19 period. Conversely, a significant increase in the probability of having at least one each of LDL test, ophthalmology screening and dietetics consultation was observed (paired OR=1.84, 1.62 and 1.94 respectively) during COVID-19. The probability of having inadequate glycemic control (HbA1C > =7%) was significantly increased by 32% during COVID-19 period. Likewise, the probability of experiencing inadequately controlled blood pressure was significantly increased by 47% during the pandemic. Conversely, the probability of having Inadequately controlled blood lipids (LDL 2.6 mmol/L+) was significantly reduced by 9%.ConclusionsThe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the primary health care services in Qatar has highlighted PHCC’s resilience by the introduction of virtual consultations during COVID-19 restrictions. Only one process indicator was significantly impacted during COVID-19 restrictions, namely having at least two HbA1C tests per individual with diabetes per year. However, the control of the disease according to HbA1c and blood pressure measurements showed a noticeable deterioration during COVID-19.

Deprescribing Program for Primary Health Care Corporation: Reducing Unnecessary Medication Use in the Elderly

Deprescribing Program for Primary Health Care Corporation: Reducing Unnecessary Medication Use in the Elderly

Exploring factors contributing to the risk of falls in community-dwelling older adults: A review of the literature

Background: Falling is a big threat to community-dwelling older adults’ independence. The chance of falling increases as people become older, which increases morbidity and mortality. The outcomes related to falls impact families, communities, and healthcare systems. As a result, the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) seeks to decrease the number of falls for community-dwelling older adults in Qatar.Aims: To explore the risk factors for falls in community-dwelling older adults. To inform the education of PHCC nurses so that they might begin to look at prevention strategies.Method: Cronin et al.’s framework guided this integrative literature review. CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, Embase, and PubMed databases were utilized to search for relevant articles. The search process returned 20 articles that met the inclusion requirements.Results: Various intrinsic and extrinsic factors lead to falls in community-dwelling older adults. The intrinsic factors include socio-demographic factors, physical health factors, physiological factors, sensory factors, psychological factors, and social factors. Environmental factors were the sole extrinsic factor.Conclusion: The findings of this literature review can be used to inform the creation of an educational program to improve home care nurses’ understanding of and attitudes toward the causes of falls in community-dwelling older adults. Through this program, nurses may begin to predict factors that lead to falls and, therefore, find strategies that help to reduce them.

Real-World Effectiveness of the Varicella Vaccine among Children and Adolescents in Qatar: A Case-Control Study.

Despite the availability of a highly efficacious vaccine, varicella outbreaks are still being reported globally. In this study, we evaluated the real-world effectiveness of varicella vaccination among children between the ages of 1 and 18 years old during the period 2017 to 2019 in Qatar. A matched case-control study was conducted that included all reported varicella-infected children who visited the primary healthcare system in Qatar from January 2017 to December 2019. The cases were children under the age of 18 years who were clinically diagnosed with varicella. The controls were of the same age, who visited the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) during 2017-2019 with a skin rash where varicella infection was ruled out. The data on varicella vaccination for each participant were obtained from the electronic database in the PHCC during the study period. We included 862 cases of varicella and 5454 matched controls, with a median age of 8 years (IQR 3-12); 47.4% were female and almost 50% were of Qatari nationality. The year 2019 had the highest varicella infection count with a total of 416 cases. The cases were less likely to be vaccinated against varicella, with approximately a quarter (25.6%) of cases and 36.7% of the controls having either one or two doses of the vaccine (p < 0.001). Compared to not being vaccinated, a single dose vaccination showed a 56% reduction in the odds of varicella infection [OR 0.44, 95% CI: 0.34-0.55; p < 0.000], and a two-dose vaccination showed an 86% reduction in the odds of varicella infection [OR 0.13, 95% CI: 0.06-0.29; p < 0.000]. In this multicultural setting, a two-dose varicella vaccination shows reasonable protection against varicella infection.

Prevalence and factors associated with general anxiety symptoms severity among older adults registered with the Primary Healthcare Corporation during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

Primary care-based studies examining the prevalence of anxiety symptoms severity and associated factors among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic are scarce. The study aims to determine the prevalence of general anxiety symptoms severity and associated sociodemographic and physical health characteristics, including SARS-CoV-2 infection history, among older adults in primary care in Qatar during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a random sample of older adults aged 60 years and above (n = 337) from all primary health care centers (n = 28) of Qatar's Primary Health Care Corporation. Participants were interviewed via telephone by family physicians between June and August 2020. General anxiety symptoms severity was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7). Descriptive statistics and ordinal regression were used to analyse the data. The mean age of participants was 65 years (ranging from 60 to 89 years), standard deviation = 4.8. About 49.0% and 32.0% of participants were females and of Qatari nationality, respectively. The prevalence of minimal, mild, moderate, and severe general anxiety symptoms was 82.5%, 13.9%, 3.0%, and 0.6%, respectively. Around 33.5%, 63.5%, and 3.0% of participants had unknown, negative, or positive SARS-CoV-2 infection histories, respectively. Females had greater odds of higher levels of anxiety symptoms severity (odds ratio (OR) 2.34; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22, 4.50; p = 0.011). As compared to participants with unknown SARS-CoV-2 infection status, those with a negative and positive SARS-CoV-2 infection history had increased odds of higher levels of general anxiety symptoms severity by 2.48 (95% CI 1.17, 5.24; p = 0.017) and 7.21 (95% CI 1.67, 31.25; p = 0.008), respectively. Age, marital status, living arrangements, nationality, and the number of medical conditions had no statistically significant associations with general anxiety symptoms severity. Most older adults experience minimal to mild anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Female gender and confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection history are independent predictors of more severe anxiety symptoms among older adults.

Follow-up of Non-Surgical Endodontic Treatment of Permanent Mandibular First Molars with Middle Mesial Root Canals –Four Clinical Case Series Report with a Mini Literature Review

Introduction: Root canal treatment’s long-term favorable prognosis is dependent on a good pulpal-periapical diagnosis and periodontium health, clear preoperative radiographs, an adequate understanding of complex root canal anatomy and endodontic pathology, proper treatment protocol that involves careful examination of root anatomy, identifying unusual root canal anatomy, access modification, negotiation of all the canals, complete debridement by shaping and chemical disinfection of all the portals of entry and exit within the root canal system, hermetic three- dimensional obturation of root canal space with an inert filling material followed by a fluid-tight tooth coronal seal. Clinicians are challenged with aberrations in the root canal anatomy of permanent mandibular molars especially when this anatomy is difficult to visualize from radiographs. The presence of a middle mesial root canal in permanent mandibular molars has been reported. Extensive exploration of the groove between mesiobuccal and mesiolingual orifices in mandibular permanent molars may reveal the presence of additional middle mesial canal orifice. Objectives: This clinical case series discusses the Follow-up of non-surgical endodontic management of four mandibular permanent first molars with an additional Middle Mesial (MM) canal in the mesial root. A mini literature review of this anatomical anomaly is also presented. Materials and Methods: The four mandibular molars with middle mesial canal endodontic cases done at Endodontics Clinic, Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Qatar by the author in the year 2021 were reviewed with follow-up in the year 2023, address the endodontic management from identification of additional canals to complete obturation and follow up. Results: Clinical follow-up post endodontic treatment demonstrated that the treated molars with extra canals were asymptomatic with no sensitivity to percussion or palpation, no swelling or tooth mobility, and normal periodontal ....

Knowledge, attitude, and proficiency of healthcare providers in cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a public primary healthcare setting in Qatar.

Early and effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) increases both survival rate and post-cardiac arrest quality of life. This study aims to assess the current knowledge and ability of physicians and nurses in health centers (HCs) operated by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in Doha, Qatar, to perform CPR. This study consists of two parts. The first part is a descriptive cross-sectional survey using an online form targeting physicians and nurses working in all HCs to assess their CPR knowledge and attitude. The second part is a direct observation of CPR drills to evaluate the skills and competencies of code blue team members in a convenient sample of 14 HCs. A multivariate model was employed to test the independent effect of explanatory variables on the total knowledge score. A total of 569 physicians and nurses responded to the survey. Only one-half (48.7%) formally received training on basic life support within the last year. Furthermore, 62.7% have tried to revive a dying person with no pulse. All the participants recognize the importance of knowing how to revive a dying adult or child as part of their job. The study showed that being a nurse was the most important predictor of a higher knowledge score in both components. Attending more resuscitation courses (3-6 courses in the last 3 years) ranked second in importance, and a longer experience in clinical practice (5-10 and >10 years) ranked third in predictive power. In addition, the direct observation of CPR drill performance revealed a satisfactory outcome. The level of CPR knowledge and skills practice among healthcare providers in PHCC is deemed satisfactory as most providers reported having performed CPR in the past. Considering that PHCC is the first step to people's healthcare in Qatar, clinical staff should be certified and assessed regularly to ensure retention of resuscitation knowledge and skills.

Impact of Insulin Resistance in Acne Vulgaris and Hirsutism Patients: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The study's goals are to identify a causal connection between insulin resistance (IR) and hirsutism and acne vulgaris, as well as to evaluate the severity of the two conditions in relation to rising IR. Study design: An analytical cross-sectional study Place and Duration: This study was conducted at Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar from August 2021 to August 2022. Methodology: In a predetermined proforma, a patient's entire clinical history as well as required variables, such as height, weight, body mass index (BMI), etc., were recorded in order to establish a link between IR and acne with/without hirsutism and only hirsutism.A HOMA-IR value of more than 2.5 was regarded as important and indicative of IR. Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) was used to determine the degree of acne, and the Modified Ferriman Gallwey Score was used to determine the severity of hirsutism (mFG). Results: The 354 participants in our study were divided into three groups: There was a statistically significant connection between IR and the severity and recurrence of acne in the Acne-only (N = 310) group. The homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), the modified Ferriman-Gallwey score, and recurrence were substantially correlated in the hirsutism-only (N = 26) group, demonstrating that insulin resistance increased with hirsutism severity and recurrence. In the sample of 18 people with acne and hirsutism (N = 18), higher BMI was positively linked with IR but not with the severity of both disorders. Conclusion: Causing serious, resistant acne and hirsutism, IR has come to be recognized as a significant contributory, if not causal, event. The mental stress affected by these conditions is greatly impacted, requiring a different approach to case management. Keywords: Acne, Hirsutism, Dermatology practice, Psoriasis, PCOS, Insulin resistance

Public Awareness and Prevalence of Depression Symptoms among Patients Attending Primary Health Care Centers in Qatar

Background: Public awareness is a key element in the management of depression, public awareness campaigns have contributed to the improvement of public knowledge attitudes, and to reduction of stigma towards depression.&#x0D; Aim: The aim is to identify public awareness towards depression and to estimate prevalence of depression among participants&#x0D; Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study, this study was conducted in (West Bay Health Center, Al-Rayan Health Center and Al-Dayen Health Center) affiliated to Primary Health Care Corporation in Qatar, it included all selected patients attending three randomly chosen health centers, with total response rate representing 82 % with total sample size 316 participant conducted during from January to March 2021, self-administered validated questionnaire including basic demographic data, awareness about symptoms of depression, risk factors, attitudes, treatment and help seeking behaviors also completing the PHQ-9 screening for depression questionnaire.&#x0D; Results: The general awareness about depression among participants lies within the range of 48% to 95.7%, participants attitudes towards depression revealing that good attitudes regard willing to work with depressed people (88.9%) and willing to make friends with them ( 82% ) while 39.4% agree to marry from them, participants preferences regard whom to seek advice regard depression revealing that in order psychologist (89.1%) then psychiatrist (87.8%) while family physicians (66.7%), PHQ-9 score among participants revealing average prevalence of depression reaching 19.7% at the cut point score of 10 with males reaching 17% and females 20.7%.&#x0D; Conclusions: Generally, in Qatar the level of public awareness of depression among participants was acceptable and they had positive attitudes towards depressed people also there is some statistical significant awareness results related to females in comparison to males. However, further efforts must be done to build public health educational programs related to depression in order to further raise its awareness in the community.

Sickness absenteeism among primary health care workers in Qatar before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectivesTo explore the patterns, trends, nature, and extent of changes in sickness absence among health care workers (HCWs) at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in Qatar-during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to previous years and uncover the main associated factors.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of all sick leaves’ records of PHCC HCWs regardless of their profession from January 2019 till August 2021.ResultsA total of 41,132 sick leaves were taken during the studied period. The majority of HCWs who availed sick leaves were between 30–39 years (45.9%), females (65.1%), and expatriates (65.1%). Compared with pre-COVID-19 (Jan 2019-Feb 2020), Wave 1 of COVID-19 had significantly less incidence of sick leaves per day per 1000 HCWs. While wave 2 had significantly higher incidence of sick leaves compared to both pre-COVID-19 and wave 1. The number of sick leaves per person among female HCWs was significantly higher than that of male HCWs. Moreover, the number of sick leaves per person among locals were about two times the number among expatriate HCWs. Physicians and nurses had significantly lower number of sick leave per person compared to other professions. The rates of sick leaves due to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection, back/neck pain and gastroenteritis were significantly higher in the second wave compared to the first wave of COVID-19.ConclusionOverall and cause specific sick leave rates among HCWs varied significantly across different periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 related sick leave rate was higher during the second wave compared to first one. By addressing the root causes of sick leaves, it is possible to reduce the burden on HCWs and ensure their continued ability to provide essential care to those in need.

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.

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.

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&apos;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.

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.

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

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