Omar Aboshady | Menoufia Faculty of Medicine (original) (raw)

Papers by Omar Aboshady

Expert review of gastroenterology & hepatology, Jan 16, 2018

Usually, clinical trials on esophageal cancer exclude patients with a prior malignancy, assuming ... more Usually, clinical trials on esophageal cancer exclude patients with a prior malignancy, assuming that this may influence survival outcomes. However, little is known about the impact of a prior malignancy on its prognosis. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (SEER) was used to review patients with stage IV squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC) of the esophagus during 1973-2014. We calculated overall and esophageal cancer-specific survival using unadjusted Kaplan-Meier and multivariable covariate-adjusted Cox models. A total of 7,807 patients with stage IV SCC, and 11,238 patients with stage IV AC were reviewed, of which 652 and 840 patients, respectively, had a prior malignancy. Kaplan-Meier curves did not show difference in overall survival of SCC or AC in patients with prior malignancy. Stage IV AC patients with prior malignancy did not show different esophageal cancer-specific survival. However, esophageal cancer-specific survival was better am...

Avicenna Journal of Medicine

The virus, like Marburg virus, is an enveloped, nonsegmented, negative sense, single-stranded RNA... more The virus, like Marburg virus, is an enveloped, nonsegmented, negative sense, single-stranded RNA virus. Together, they form the genera of Filoviruses. EV has five distinct species, namely, Zaire, Sudan, Tai forest, Bundibugyo, and Reston, which greatly differ in their characteristics and fatality. [7] Mortality rates range from 80% with Zaire species, the causative agent of the recent outbreak in West Africa, to 40% with Bundibugyo species. However, most of the past outbreaks were caused by the Sudan species. Reston species is the only identified Asian species of EV with no human cases reported. [8] Since 1976, many outbreaks occurred in Sudan, central and West Africa. Nevertheless, the recent outbreak, hitting three countries simultaneously; Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, stands out for the longest duration, the largest numbers Ebola virus (EV) was named after a river in Northwestern Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the

F1000Research, 2017

Background: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have undergone exponential growth over the past f... more Background: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have undergone exponential growth over the past few years, offering free and worldwide access to high-quality education. We identified the characteristics of MOOCs in the health sciences offered by Latin American institutions (LAIs). Methods: We screened the eight leading MOOCs platforms to gather their list of offerings. The MOOCs were classified by region and subject. Then, we obtained the following information: Scopus H-index for each institution and course instructor, QS World University Ranking® 2015/16 of LAI, and official language of the course. Results: Our search identified 4170 MOOCs worldwide. From them, 205 MOOCs were offered by LAIs, and six MOOCs were health sciences related. Most of these courses (n = 115) were offered through Coursera. One health science MOOC was taught by three instructors, of which only one was registered in Scopus (H-index = 0). The remaining five health science MOOCs had solely one instructor (H-ind...

British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 2016

This article outlines the steps to success in quality improvement and explains how quality improv... more This article outlines the steps to success in quality improvement and explains how quality improvement can help you, your patients and your institution. Although many tactics can be used to drive quality improvement, some tactics deliver results that are short term and unsustainable and that fail to embed a culture of quality improvement within organizations. Consensus is emerging that a bottom-up approach may be better - where the intrinsic motivations of clinical staff are harnessed to drive quality improvement. This is an ideal opportunity for clinical staff at all levels to join in. The steps involved in quality improvement include choosing a topic, choosing tools to measure the problem, using plan, do, study, act cycles to drive improvement, and then writing up and sharing the project. Quality improvement projects can achieve multiple outcomes including improved patient experience and saved costs.

Saudi medical journal, 2016

Research output of Arab students. The way forward To the Editor We have read, with interest the r... more Research output of Arab students. The way forward To the Editor We have read, with interest the recently published remarks by Aboshady and Gouda 1 in this journal. Worldwide trends of research conducted and articles authored by medical students, reveal a slight increase in output, although there has been a diminution in the number of physician-scientists. 2 However, most of the pertinent literature on medical student research comes from developed countries. Medical students from developing countries, including Arab students, have consistently displayed a keen interest in research. From example, a recent study 3 found strong enthusiasm for undergraduate research by medical students in 3 Arab universities. Students from developing countries are thought to display such eagerness due to anxieties pertaining to future career prospects; involvement in research is generally positively looked upon when students/interns apply for competitive postgraduate training positions. 3 Students' interest, however, is not being met with adequate guidance or supervision in order to foster such energy. Arab students often cite the lack of research infrastructure (namely, inadequate mentorship and facilities) 1 as one of the main obstacles to student-led research. 3 In countries where financial constraints are not immediate barriers, it is disheartening to witness such waste of youthful and energetic talent. Calls for the introduction of Medical/PhD programs in the Arab world have been previously and continue to be made. 4 Indeed, such dual degrees (namely, a research degree combined with the medical degree) afford excellent chances to provide in-depth research experience to keen medical students. 5 Sadly, such programs are currently offered by almost none of the Arab universities. We, therefore, affirm Aboshady and Gouda's call for the intensification and collaboration of efforts to encourage student research in the Arab world. We also support the introduction of dual medical/research programs, the inception of which may be the first step of igniting research interest among medical students in the region.

BMJ open, 2015

To assess the prevalence of awareness and use of massive open online courses (MOOCs) among medica... more To assess the prevalence of awareness and use of massive open online courses (MOOCs) among medical undergraduates in Egypt as a developing country, as well as identifying the limitations and satisfaction of using these courses. A multicentre, cross-sectional study using a web-based, pilot-tested and self-administered questionnaire. Ten out of 19 randomly selected medical schools in Egypt. 2700 undergraduate medical students were randomly selected, with an equal allocation of participants in each university and each study year. Primary outcome measures were the percentages of students who knew about MOOCs, students who enrolled and students who obtained a certificate. Secondary outcome measures included the limitations and satisfaction of using MOOCs through five-point Likert scale questions. Of 2527 eligible students, 2106 completed the questionnaire (response rate 83.3%). Of these students, 456 (21.7%) knew the term MOOCs or websites providing these courses. Out of the latter, 136 ...

Introduction Shared decision making in healthcare is important. Education in shared decision maki... more Introduction Shared decision making in healthcare is important. Education in shared decision making is required to ensure that healthcare professionals are equipped so that they can effectively share decisions with patients. Online learning may be one method of doing this. Online learning resources allow large numbers of users to access clinical content at a time and place that is convenient for them. Methods BMJ Learning is the online learning website of BMJ. BMJ Learning recently published a module on shared decision making. We evaluated the module by looking at how popular the module was, by examining the feedback that we received on the module and by looking at what percentage of users who started the module completed it. We analysed the feedback from a qualitative perspective. Results A total of 748 users started the module and 586 completed it. This gives a completion rate of 78%. The mean completion rate of all modules on the site is 83%. Feedback to the resource was mixed. 47 users described the resource as useful, good or excellent. 10 described it as interesting and 3 said that the content related to their learning needs. 10 users left negative comments. Conclusions Shared decision making is clearly a learning need amongst healthcare professionals and many users feel that an online learning module in this format is an effective means of satisfying this need. Shared decision making in healthcare is important. (Barry and Edgman-Levitan 2012) Education in shared decision making is required to ensure that healthcare professionals are equipped so that they can effectively share decisions with patients. (Légaré et al 2012) The challenge is to deliver education in Walsh K, Aboshady O MedEdPublish Abstract Keywords: e-learning, shared decision making

Developing countries are suffering from increasing burdens presented by both non-communicable and... more Developing countries are suffering from increasing burdens presented by both non-communicable and emerging infectious diseases. Health education is an important step to fight against these, mostly preventable diseases. Elearning has shown to be one of the tools that address some of the training challenges experienced in developing countries by supporting efficient content delivery, decreasing costs and increasing access. Massive Open

Career choice is both an important and inevitable milestone in the life of each medical student. ... more Career choice is both an important and inevitable milestone in the life of each medical student. Such a choice can have a great impact on a given students future plans such as life goals as well as their family and social life. Choosing a well-fitting specialty can boost students' career achievements and enhance their quality of life. Moreover, it can directly affect the healthcare system by causing either a shortage or oversupply of available physicians in different specialties, which can lead to an unbalanced availability of health-care services [1]. While the career-choice stage of a student's life was expected to be filled with enthusiasm and optimism, it was instead found to be one of the most critical and stressful times due to the complex, dynamic and multifactorial nature of the decision-making process [2]. The 2015 report of The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) on Residents reported that 56 percent of medical students change their preferred residency specialty prior to the completion of medical school [3]. This may be attributed to the poor orientation and lack of career-support services provided to many students. This usually leads to inappropriate career selection and even a career change a few years into training. Studies have shown that 20 percent of residents [4] and 16 percent of physicians change their specialties to completely unrelated fields [5]. Concerning practice, medical specialties can be classified into two categories: 1) person-oriented specialties, such as family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics; and 2) technique-oriented specialties, such as surgery, pathology and anesthesiology [6]. Selecting a career choice among these specialties usually depends on different intrinsic (i.e. related to personal attributes and preferences) and extrinsic (i.e. related to work environment) factors [2]. These include personal fit, gender, controllable lifestyle, previous clinical experience, role model effect, financial reward, prestige, work pressure, future job security, working hours, early career training quality, subspecialty choice and nature of patient care [2,7, 8]. In this editorial, we highlight five important tips that may help students to better choose their careers.

Objectives To assess the prevalence of awareness and use of massive open online courses (MOOCs) a... more Objectives To assess the prevalence of awareness and use of massive open online courses (MOOCs) among medical undergraduates in Egypt as a developing country, as well as identifying the limitations and satisfaction of using these courses.

Design A multicentre, cross-sectional study using a web-based, pilot-tested and self-administered questionnaire.

Settings Ten out of 19 randomly selected medical schools in Egypt.

Participants 2700 undergraduate medical students were randomly selected, with an equal allocation of participants in each university and each study year.

Primary and secondary outcome measures Primary outcome measures were the percentages of students who knew about MOOCs, students who enrolled and students who obtained a certificate. Secondary outcome measures included the limitations and satisfaction of using MOOCs through five-point Likert scale questions.

Results Of 2527 eligible students, 2106 completed the questionnaire (response rate 83.3%). Of these students, 456 (21.7%) knew the term MOOCs or websites providing these courses. Out of the latter, 136 (29.8%) students had enrolled in at least one course, but only 25 (18.4%) had completed courses earning certificates. Clinical year students showed significantly higher rates of knowledge (p=0.009) and enrolment (p<0.001) than academic year students. The primary reasons for the failure of completion of courses included lack of time (105; 77.2%) and slow Internet speed (73; 53.7%). Regarding the 25 students who completed courses, 21 (84%) were satisfied with the overall experience. However, there was less satisfaction regarding student–instructor (8; 32%) and student–student (5; 20%) interactions.

Conclusions About one-fifth of Egyptian medical undergraduates have heard about MOOCs with only about 6.5% actively enrolled in courses. Students who actively participated showed a positive attitude towards the experience, but better time-management skills and faster Internet connection speeds are required. Further studies are needed to survey the enrolled students for a better understanding of their experience.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a globally increasing health problem affecting the quality of life. Spe... more Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a globally increasing health problem affecting the quality of life. Specific immunotherapy is an available causal treatment changing the basic allergic mechanisms of the disease. Over one hundred years, subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) was developed and proved its efficacy but many adverse effects were recorded including anaphylaxis. In 1986, sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) was introduced as an alternative solution to solve this problem. Our study aims to discuss SLIT from the points of efficacy, safety, adherence and guidelines developed. A literature search was conducted in Medline/PubMed and the Cochrane Library in January 2013 using the keywords "allergic rhinitis, sublingual immunotherapy, efficacy, safety, compliance, adherence, guidelines." All types of publications were included. We augmented our study by searching the reference lists of identified reviews. SLIT has been established in many guidelines as an evidence-based effective treatment in AR with safer profile than SCIT. The meta-analyses confirmed its efficacy and showed a significant reduction in both symptoms and medication scores. The most common recorded adverse effects were minor local effects in the mouth, gastrointestinal reactions with few cases of anaphylaxis and no fatality. Adherence is more favorable for SLIT mainly because it is safe, noninvasive and easily taken at home. We support the call to conduct large multicentric studies to gain more statistical power and overcome the problem of heterogeneity observed in the meta-analyses.

Conference Presentations by Omar Aboshady

Teaching Documents by Omar Aboshady