Globalization of medical education is occurring at a rapid pace and many regions of the world are adapting curricula, teaching methods, and assessment tools from established programs. In the Middle East, the use of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) is rare. The College of Pharmacy at Qatar University recently partnered with the University of Toronto and the Supreme Council of H...

OBJECTIVES To review the epidemiology of scorpion sting in Qatar, to explore both the clinical significance, and the role of the emergency department (ED) in the management of such cases. METHODS In this retrospective study, we reviewed the records of all scorpion sting cases presented to the ED of Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar between October 2010 and May 2013. RESULTS A total of 111...

In Qatar, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death. Studies show that depression is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality among cardiovascular patients. Thus, early detection of, and intervention for, depression among cardiovascular patients can reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and save health care costs. To date there is no study in the Gulf region ex...

BACKGROUND Many Muslim diabetes patients choose to participate in Ramadan despite medical advice to the contrary. This study aims to describe Qatar pharmacists' practice, knowledge, and attitudes towards guiding diabetes medication management during Ramadan. METHODS A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed among a convenience sample of 580 Qatar pharmacists. A web-based questionnaire...

Background: Accurate estimates of the baseline incidence of childhood intussusception could help safety monitoring after introduction of rotavirus vaccines. Therefore, we studied the incidence of intussusception in the state of Qatar. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases of intussusception in children younger than 14 years. Children were treated between 2002 and 2012 at a single hospital ...

Electronic government (e-government) initiatives are in their early stages in many developing countries and faced with various issues pertaining to their implementation, adoption and diffusion. Although egovernment has increased transparency and improved communication and access to information for citizens, digital diffusion of information is often achieved at high cost to government agencies. ...

Traumatic workplace-related injuries (WRIs) carry a substantial negative impact on the public health worldwide. We aimed to study the incidence and outcomes of WRIs in Qatar. We conducted occupational injury surveillance for all WRI patients between 2010 and 2012. A total of 5152 patients were admitted to the level 1 trauma unit in Qatar, of which 1496 (29%) sustained WRI with a mean age of 34....

The objective of our study was to describe the molecular support of carbapenem resistance from randomly selected clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii as a pilot study from the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Qatar. Results of our report will be used to study carbapenemases using molecular techniques in all isolated MDR A. baumannii. Forty-eight MDR A. baumanni...

BACKGROUND Cats are essential in the life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii as they can shed the environmentally resistant oocysts after acquiring infection. Human populations living in cities with high densities of feral cats are therefore likely to be at risk of infection. The current study is the first to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii in the feral cat population in Qatar. We investigated...