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EMPHNET 7th Regional Conference 2021: “Towards Public Health Resilience in the EMR: Breaking Barriers” (62)

Published on in Vol 8, No 1 (2022): Jan-Dec

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/36393, first published .
The Pattern of Referral of Sick Omani Pilgrims From the Omani Medical Mission During Hajj 2019

The Pattern of Referral of Sick Omani Pilgrims From the Omani Medical Mission During Hajj 2019

The Pattern of Referral of Sick Omani Pilgrims From the Omani Medical Mission During Hajj 2019

Authors of this article:

Ahmed Obaid Almashaykhi1 ;   Randa M Nooh2 ;   Sami Said Almudarra3 ;   Abdulaziz Saad ALMutari2 ;   Naif Saud ALBudayri2 ;   Khalid Masoud AlGhamdi2 ;   Ali Aldarwish2
Article Authors Cited by Tweetations Metrics

    Abstract

    1Ministry of Health, Muscat, Oman

    2Field Epidemiology Training Program, Ministry of Health, Riyad, Saudi Arabia

    3Ministry of Health, Riyad, Saudi Arabia

    Corresponding Author:

    Ahmed Obaid Almashaykhi, PhD, MD

    Ministry of Health

    128 Culture Street

    Al Khuwair

    Muscat, 11

    Oman

    Phone: 968 92966264

    Email: dr.ahmed929@hotmail.com


    Background: Annually, in the month of Dhul hijjah, over 2 million Muslims travel to Saudi Arabia to perform hajj. Hajj is the biggest mass gathering globally, which creates a substantial influence on hajjes’ health. The Omani medical mission is the official delegation from the Omani government to Saudi Arabia to serve the Omani hajjees regarding their health issues.

    Objective: This study investigates the referral rate and pattern of diseases among hajjees referred by the Omani medical mission during Hajj 1440 H.

    Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study at the Omani Medical missions in Makkah, Madinah, Mina, and Arafat. Data was collected via a predesigned form. All Omani pilgrims presenting to the mission who were referred to local hospitals were included.

    Results: The total number of cases was 5000, of which 106 (2.1%) were referred to local hospitals (21.2 per 1000 hajjees). The most common causes of referral were cardiovascular diseases (23.6%), followed by gastrointestinal disease (17.9%) and trauma (16.9%). Male patients comprised 60.1% of the sample. Their mean age was 47.3 (SD 11.27) years, with the highest referrals in the 51-60 years age group (30%). Over half (55.7%) had comorbidities. Patients’ mean time to reach the clinic was 8.87 (SD 6.41) minutes, with 65% arriving in 5 minutes or less. The mean time needed to reach the hospital by ambulance was 11.39 (SD 6.6) minutes, with 36% arriving within 5 minutes. Of the referrals, 42% were admitted into the hospital. Hospitalization was significantly higher among patients with chest pain (P<.006), diabetics (P<.001), and patients with heart disease (P=.01).

    Conclusions: The most common causes for referral of hajjees from the Omani Medical Mission were cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal disease, and trauma. This information should assist the Omani government in planning their medical services in the hajj season in future years.

    iproc 2022;8(1):e36393

    doi:10.2196/36393

    Keywords

    hajj; referral; Omani; pilgrims 

    Edited by Y Khader; This is a non–peer-reviewed article. submitted 13.01.22; accepted 17.01.22; published 08.02.22

    Copyright

    ©Ahmed Obaid Almashaykhi, Randa M Nooh, Sami Said Almudarra, Abdulaziz Saad ALMutari, Naif Saud ALBudayri, Khalid Masoud AlGhamdi, Ali Aldarwish. Originally published in Iproceedings (https://www.iproc.org), 08.02.2022.

    This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in Iproceedings, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.iproc.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.