"Is there a doctor on board?": willingness and confidence of physicians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in assisting with in-flight medical emergencies

Nouf A AlShamlan; Reem S AlOmar; Majd Mohammed Alrayes; Saud K Alkhaldi; Ali Hamad Alomar; Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Alghamdi; Fares Mohammad Nassef; Sarah Hussain Al-Matar; Hatem A Alqahtani

doi:10.1186/s12873-021-00453-z

"Is there a doctor on board?": willingness and confidence of physicians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in assisting with in-flight medical emergencies

BMC Emerg Med. 2021 Apr 30;21(1):54. doi: 10.1186/s12873-021-00453-z.

Authors

Nouf A AlShamlan¹, Reem S AlOmar², Majd Mohammed Alrayes³, Saud K Alkhaldi³, Ali Hamad Alomar³, Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Alghamdi³, Fares Mohammad Nassef³, Sarah Hussain Al-Matar⁴, Hatem A Alqahtani²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Family and Community Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. nashamlan@iau.edu.sa.
² Department of Family and Community Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
³ College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ College of Medicine, Dar Al Uloom University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: In-flight medical emergencies (IMEs) are common, and for a traveling physician, it is very likely to encounter such a condition. Data discussing this issue are limited. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the willingness and confidence of physicians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in responding to IMEs. As well as, to assess the associated sociodemographic, occupational, and travel-related factors, and their previous experience with such events.

Methods: This cross-sectional, online-based, study was conducted among all physicians in KSA during January 2021. The self-administered questionnaire included questions on sociodemographic, occupational, travel profiles, willingness and confidence towards IMEs. Chi-Squared or Fisher's Exact test were used for bivariate analysis followed by the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis.

Results: A total of 4558 physicians participated in the study. About one-third of participants reported one or more IME incidents, and the vast majority of them provided assistance. Cardiovascular diseases were the most common IMEs. About half of the participating physicians are concerned about the medico-legal consequences of providing assistance with such a condition. Among all specialties, emergency physicians reported the highest willingness and confidence toward IMEs. Predictors for a physician's willingness to assist in IMEs were being male, having been involved in a previous IME situation, attended life support and IME courses, frequent traveling, and practicing medicine in the Central region of Saudi Arabia.

Conclusion: Findings from the current study stressed the need for establishing standardized guidelines about the roles of healthcare workers and the legal consequences of providing medical assessment in IMEs. Moreover, training programs on IMEs to all physicians, especially those who deal with a variety of cases during their practice such as internal medicine and family medicine are also suggested.

Keywords: Confidence; Emergency; In-flight; Medical; Physician; Willingness.

MeSH terms

Aircraft
Aviation*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emergencies*
Humans
Male
Physicians*
Saudi Arabia
Travel
Travel-Related Illness