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Background Effective communication between healthcare providers and patients is essential for high-quality care and patient satisfaction. Barriers to communication can lead to misunderstandings and poorer health outcomes. This study aims to identify communication obstacles between physical/occupational therapists (PTs/OTs) and patients in the Saudi Arabian context. Methods This cross-sectional study, which was conducted from September 2022 to January 2023, involved 228 patients and 46 therapists from the rehabilitation services department. Data were collected via two self-administered questionnaires and analyzed via Pearson’s chi-square test of independence and Fisher’s exact test for categorical nominal data to assess associations between variables. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Most patients (25.4%) were young adults aged 18–30 years, predominantly Saudi nationals (96.5%), with undergraduate degrees (63%). High satisfaction with therapists was reported by 69.3% of patients. The key barriers identified included limited consultation time (15.8%) and the use of medical records (4.8%). Therapists, primarily young professionals aged 25–30 years (54.3%) with 3–5 years of experience (43.5%), also reported time limitations (30.4%), physical setup issues (37.0%), and poor patient history-taking (56.5%) as significant barriers. Additional findings from our study indicated that monolingual Arabic-speaking therapists faced greater challenges in understanding language (p = 0.02), and younger therapists (aged 25–30) reported greater difficulties in managing multiple problems during sessions (p = 0.03), highlighting age and linguistic background as significant factors influencing communication efficacy. Conclusions Addressing communication barriers through targeted interventions, such as enhanced training, improved clinical structures, and advanced electronic health records, can improve patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies and specific communication training programs.

Background Burnout among resident physicians is a growing worldwide concern. It is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. We assessed burnout prevalence among pediatric surgical residents and the potential mitigating role of mentorship. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using a 26-item electronic survey, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), distributed to residents in a national pediatric surgery residency program. The survey gathered demographic data and mentorship status. Associations between burnout and age, gender, training level, and mentorship were analyzed using Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. Results Of 51 eligible residents, 41 responded (80%). Moderate-to-severe emotional exhaustion was present in 27/41 (65.8%), moderate-to-severe depersonalization in 14/41 (34.1%), and low personal accomplishment in 38/41 (92.7%). Overall, 29/41 (70.7%) met burnout criteria in at least two domains. Residents without mentors reported higher severe emotional exhaustion (9/24 [37.5%] vs. 2/17 [11.8%]) and low personal accomplishment (17/24 [70.8%] vs. 6/17 [35.3%]); the difference reached significance for personal accomplishment ( p  = 0.04). Conclusion This study highlights the high prevalence of burnout among pediatric surgical residents and the potential benefits of mentorship. Structured mentorship programs are recommended to reduce burnout among pediatric surgery residents. Future research should explore structured mentorship programs that align residents with faculty mentors based on shared professional and personal goals may help mitigate burnout and improve trainee well-being.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess and analyse the level of voluntary disclosure practices in the annual reports of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) listed firms and explore the association between corporate governance mechanisms and voluntary disclosure practices. Design/methodology/approach Panel data analysis was undertaken over a period from 2005-2008 with an aim to examine the influence of corporate governance mechanisms on voluntary disclosures made by 52 listed firms in their four years of annual reports. An unweighted voluntary disclosure index has been used for hand-collecting data from annual reports. Findings The findings show that the mean voluntary disclosure level over the four years is 23 per cent. Four out of eight corporate governance mechanisms examined found to be significantly associated with the level of voluntary disclosure, three negatively, one positively. Cross directorship, board size and role duality are negatively related to voluntary disclosure, while government ownership is positively related to voluntary disclosure. In contrast, the proportion of non-executive directors, family members on the board, the presence of an audit committee and the presence of the ruling family on the board have an insignificant influencer on voluntary disclosure practices. Practical implications The study provides an assessment of KSE-listed firm voluntary disclosure practices and its determents and highlights that that corporate governance attributes affect the voluntary disclosure practices of KSE-listed firms. Originality/value The findings of this study contribute to the arguments concerning the role of corporate governance mechanisms in improving the level of disclosure and information transparency.

Objectives: To present our institutional experience with pediatric morgagni hernia (MH) emphasizing the presentation, diagnostic workup, surgical techniques, and follow-up. Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with MH who underwent surgical repair from May 2014 to May 2024. Data points collected included demographic, clinical, and follow up information. We analyzed the data using basic thematic analysis. For categorical variables, we employed counts and percentages. Statistical analysis performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Nine patients underwent MH repair. Respiratory symptoms were the most common, affecting 66% of patients. All patients received chest radiography, while 5 required computed tomography imaging. Three (33%) patients underwent laparotomy, 5 (55%) underwent laparoscopic repair, and 1 (11%) underwent thoracotomy repair. The laparotomy group required significantly more days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (p=0.037), more days on mechanical ventilation (p=0.020), and more days on IV narcotics (p=0.20). The laparotomy group experienced longer durations of NPO status and overall hospital stay. One (11%) patient experienced MH recurrence. Conclusion: Laparoscopic repair offers superior outcomes, such as fewer days in the ICU and on mechanical ventilation, reduced intravenous narcotic use, shorter NPO durations, and an overall shorter hospital stay. When feasible and safe, laparoscopic repair should be considered the preferred method for pediatric MH. Keywords: congenital diaphragmatic hernia, morgagni hernia, MIS

This prospective randomised study compared two umbilical port-site closure techniques in paediatric laparoscopic appendectomy: The suture grasper (Endo Close) and simple closure. The primary outcome was post-operative pain at the umbilical port site over the first five post-operative days, and the secondary outcome was the incidence of port-site hernia at 2 weeks, 2 months and 6 months postoperatively. One hundred children (mean age 10.5 years) undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy for acute non-complicated appendicitis were randomised into two groups: Endo Close (n = 50) and simple closure (n = 50). Pain scores (1-10 scale) were recorded daily for 5 days postoperatively, and port-site hernias were assessed during the follow-up visits. Statistical analysis included repeated-measures ANOVA and Chi-square tests. No significant differences were observed in post-operative pain scores between the Endo Close and simple closure groups (P > 0.05). Pain scores declined similarly in both groups from day 1 (Endo Close: 6.8 ± 2.1; simple closure: 6.2 ± 2.3) to day 5 (Endo Close: 1.8 ± 1.6; simple closure: 1.2 ± 1.6). No port-site hernias were detected in either group during the 6-month follow-up period. The Endo Close device is comparable to simple closure in terms of post-operative pain and port-site hernia incidence in paediatric laparoscopic appendectomy. Larger multicentre studies with a longer follow-up are needed to confirm the long-term outcomes and further define its role in paediatric laparoscopic surgery.

Digital imaging has surely resurfaced dentistry as an extremely modern practice, thereby increasing diagnostic and treatment-planning capabilities to a whole new level, thus enhancing patient care and clinical efficiency. This transition from film-based radiography to digital technologies, including digital radiography, intraoral cameras, cone-beam computed tomography, and intraoral scanners, has significantly improved diagnostic accuracy, reduced radiation dosage, and smoothed the workflow. Cone beam computed tomography has given a fillip to detailed 3D imaging in complex cases of implantology and orthodontics; intraoral scanners and CAD/CAM systems have come to enhance restorative accuracy. Even with some drawbacks persisting, this integration of artificial intelligence into dental medicine, or rather being at the threshold of new technologies such as augmented reality, augurs well for further development. This review has outlined the paradigm shift of digital imaging in various dental specialties and looks forward to future opportunities for maximizing its application in a clinical setup.

Aims: The aim of the study was to assess caries prevalence among 6-9-year old children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and to compare between results based on nationality, grade levels, and location of residence. Materials and Methods: A total of 1844 male students from 17 public male primary schools in Riyadh city were examined according to the World Health Organization diagnostic criteria. The decayed-missing-filled teeth (dmft) index and its components were measured. One-way analysis of variance, Student's t-test, and Chi-square test were used to determine the significance differences, at α = 0.05. Results: The overall mean of the decayed teeth (dt) for all children was 3.15 (standard deviation [SD]: 3.36) which increased to 4.57 (SD: 3.14) when excluding children without active caries. The mean dmftscore was 4.30 (SD: 3.87) which raised to 5.37 (SD: 3.60) following excluding caries-free children (dmft= 0). The caries prevalence was 80.15%. Although the non-Saudi children showed slightly fewer values compared to Saudi children, there were no statistically significant differences in all values (P > 0.05). The dmft index score was higher for second grade (4.42, SD: 3.78), followed by third grade (4.26, SD: 3.54) and first grade (4.24, SD: 4.19). However, there were no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05). The dmft values ranged between 2.69 (SD: 3.25) for Central and 5.0 (SD: 4.13) for West of Riyadh. The ascending order was Central < North < East < South < West. Conclusions: This study supports the high prevalence of caries among children of this age group necessitating the urgent need for effective community-based preventive programs.