Impact of COVID-19 on the 937 Telephone Medical Consultation Service in Saudi Arabia

Covid-19 hotlines, helplines and call centers: a systematic review of characteristics, challenges and lessons learned

BACKGROUND

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of hotlines/helplines/call centers was implemented to provide remote services and support public health. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics, challenges and lessons learned of implementing Covid-19 hotlines/helplines/call centers during the pandemic.

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, IEEE Xplore, and ProQuest databases as well as Google Scholar were searched between 1st January 2020 and 31st December 2023 to retrieve relevant articles published in English. The quality and risk of bias of the studies were assessed using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS), the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Checklist.

RESULTS

In total, 43 out of 1440 articles were included in this study. About half of the hotlines/helplines/call centers were launched in March 2020 (n = 19). Providing psychological support (n = 23), reliable information about Covid-19 (n = 10), healthcare advices about Covid-19 (n = 8), and triage (n = 7) were the most common purposes of implementing these services. The most common challenges included a lack of physical examination, unavailability of hotlines/helplines/call centers at the point of need, and delay in updating Covid-19 information. The most common lessons learned were employing qualified staff, providing proper training, and getting feedback from the callers and operators.

CONCLUSION

According to the results, most of the Covid-19 hotlines/helplines/call centers were launched in the early months of the pandemic, and about half of them were active seven days a week. Most of the operators were mental health providers and clinicians. The findings show the importance of continuous psychological support during crises, particularly when adequate information about the situation is not available. The challenges experienced by the callers and operators as well as the lessons learned by the service providers also need to be considered for future crises to increase the effectiveness of similar services.

Health professionals' involvement in volunteering their professional skills: a scoping review

Background

Volunteering positively affects overall health of both volunteers and recipients through social interaction, support and physical activity. Health professionals' volunteering has considerable potential to improve health outcomes in communities.

Objectives

This study aimed to summarize published scientific literature regarding volunteering by health professionals.

Method

Medine, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO and CINAHLdatabases were searched to identify eligible studies published between 2010 and 2023. Data on study methods and findings were extracted and synthesized.

Results

Of the 144 eligible studies, 80 (56%) used quantitative methods, 46 (32%) used qualitative, 18 (12%) used mixed methods and 8 (6%) were interventional. Doctors (74 studies, 51%) and nurses (n = 40, 28%) were the professions with most reports of volunteering. Half the studies were from USA (n = 77, 53%), followed by UK (n = 19, 13%), Canada (n = 12, 8%), and Australia/New Zealand (n = 11, 8%). International volunteering in low-to-middle-income countries was reported in 64 studies (44%). Providing service and training were the dominant types of activities (n = 90, 62.5%), with health promotion reported in only 4 studies (3%). Studies reported positive impact from volunteering, both professionally and personally. Time and family commitments were the main barriers. Enablers, barriers and impact were summarized in a socio-ecological map.

Conclusion

Health professionals volunteer in diverse activities and report multifaceted benefits. Studies of volunteering interventions could enable new, sustainable approaches to health promotion.

Perceptions of volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic among medical and dental professionals in Saudi Arabia

Background

Volunteering can be defined as any action where time is freely donated to help another individual, organization, or cause. During pandemics, volunteers in the healthcare industry are essential. There were different perspectives on volunteering around the world. This study evaluated Saudi Arabia's clinical medical and dentistry students' attitudes and perspectives on volunteering during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Method

A descriptive cross-sectional study of medical and dental students completing the clinical experience in Saudi Arabia. A web-based survey gathered data, and SPSS, Chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests were used for analysis.

Results

The majority of participants had positive attitudes and perceptions of volunteering during COVID-19 on most items. A total of 93.80% said they would volunteer given the opportunity, and 86.25% would respond to governmental calls during health crises. However, 62.26% would volunteer only if compensated, 66.58% needed parental approval before volunteering, and 74.93% had fears about infecting family members. Nearly all items were not significantly different by specialty (medicine/dentistry), gender, nationality, region, or education level.

Conclusions

Medical and dentistry professionals had good attitudes about volunteering during health disasters, especially when provided proper protection and training. The majority of participants were likely to respond to governmental calls if needed. Future studies should investigate compensation methods and types.

Exploring interrelationships of COVID-19 dimensions in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review

Background

COVID-19 affected the world threatening medical, social, economic and community dimensions. Along with the other countries of the world, Saudi Arabia also witnessed critical emergencies leading to serious disaster due mainly to the overcrowding at certain urban residential localities. Nevertheless, the situation handled meticulously not only with measures and combating strategies but also with documentations and researches to build sustainable confrontation systems and lateral programs.

Main body of abstract

This attempt is a consolidation of the academic efforts on COVID-19 in the country aiming to contribute to the knowledge base aiding to future planning on preparedness. An online survey of published academic research from peer reviewed journals were carried out during August-December 2022, using COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia as search criteria. Many areas of concern are assessed in the context which are classified into spread and burden, patient statistics, symptoms and other clinical dimensions, vaccinations and vaccine acceptance/hesitance, psychosocial impact, impact on education, impact on health staff, impact on migration, impact on nutrition, and control measures adopted.

Short conclusions

A consolidation of these research findings explains the scientific academic community alertness in raising up to the emergency pandemic situation, which facilitated strategy and policy formulations by the Government ministries and other governing bodies. These researches are linked to stagewise programmatic efforts to curtail the epidemic as a mode of accomplishments.

Which Volunteering Settings Do Medical Students Prefer During a Novel Respiratory Virus Pandemic? A Cross-Sectional Study of Multiple Colleges in Central Saudi Arabia During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose

Novel respiratory virus outbreaks are a recurring public health concern. Volunteering medical students can be a valuable asset during such times. This study investigated the willingness of medical students to volunteer during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the barriers to doing so, considering the possibility of exposure to COVID-19 and mode of contact.

Patients and methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered online questionnaire adapted from the literature. The questionnaire comprised four parts: demographic variables, COVID-19-related variables, willingness scale, and barrier scale. The target population was medical students at four different colleges in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Results

A total of 802 students participated in the study. A small proportion of students (10.6%) were willing to participate in volunteering activities that could involve contact with patients with COVID-19 as compared to other settings (39.4-43.4%). More than one-quarter of students (26.8%) had risk factors for severe COVID-19. The main barrier to volunteering was the concern of transmitting the infection to family members (76.8%). Registration to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was positively associated with more willingness to volunteer (β=0.17, p <0.001), whereas residing in a household with an elderly person was negatively associated (β=-0.13, p <0.001). Female sex was positively associated with higher barrier score (β=0.12, p <0.001).

Conclusion

Medical students were more willing to volunteer in activities that did not involve direct contact with patients with COVID-19. A considerable proportion of participants had risk factors for severe illness. Sharing a household with an elderly person or child was associated with lower willingness to volunteer. Organizers of volunteering activities should offer various volunteering options considering the risk of infection; and be mindful of barriers to volunteering, especially risk factors for severe illness and eldercare and childcare responsibilities.