This study examined the mental health literacy of perinatal healthcare professionals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and analysed how their knowledge, attitudes and confidence impact their clinical practices in addressing perinatal mental health disorders.

A qualitative study with a descriptive phenomenological design. Data were collected via semi-structured individual interviews and focus group discussions. The data were analysed inductively using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis.

The study was conducted in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain in the UAE. Participants were recruited from various healthcare facilities and professional educational events.

The participants consisted of perinatal healthcare professionals from seven disciplines, including lactation consultants, midwives, nurses, obstetricians, paediatricians, family medicine practitioners and psychiatrists/psychologists. All participants were required to be actively involved in providing care to perinatal patients and to have a minimum of one year of clinical experience. The study included three focus group discussions and 28 semistructured individual interviews, culminating in a sample of 43 participants for analysis.

Three key themes emerged: (1) Knowledge and awareness, highlighting variable understanding of perinatal mental health and reliance on instinct over formal screening; (2) Navigating professional roles and realities, showing empathy and willingness to support patients, yet role ambiguity, low confidence and societal stigma influence perinatal healthcare professionals’ responses and care practices and (3) Strengthening support systems and resources, where participants called for improved training, clear policies and psychosocial resources to overcome institutional and educational gaps and to enhance perinatal mental healthcare and patient outcomes.

The study reveals gaps in mental health literacy and institutional support that hinder the delivery of effective perinatal mental healthcare. Strengthening provider training, implementing standardised screening and referral pathways, and promoting culturally sensitive, multidisciplinary approaches are essential. Such interventions can enhance early detection and improve outcomes for mothers and infants. Further research should focus on developing and evaluating the efficacy of such interventions to enhance early detection and improve outcomes for mothers and infants.

Transitions from the emergency department (ED) to home are high-risk periods for medication-related harm. Pharmacist-led interventions during this period may improve medication safety and care continuity, yet co-design approaches to develop such interventions remain underused. The aim of this study is to co-design a pharmacist-led transition of care programme for patients discharged from the ED.

This study will be conducted at a 371-bed secondary-care teaching hospital in Qatar and will follow two sequential phases using qualitative and participatory methods. Phase I will involve focus groups and semistructured interviews with key stakeholders (clinical pharmacists, physicians, nurses and patients or patient representatives). Phase II will consist of an intervention co-design workshop with decision makers (leaders, policymakers and representatives from Phase I). Participants will be recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. Interviews will be audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data will be analysed using an inductive-deductive approach, guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework, the Care Transitions Framework and the APEASE (Affordability, Practicability, Effectiveness/cost-effectiveness, Acceptability, Side-effects/safety, Equity) criteria for evaluation of intervention feasibility.

The anticipated outcome is a prototype intervention detailing target recipients, core components, workflow, implementation strategies and supporting tools. This prototype will be pilot-tested to assess feasibility and inform further refinement.

The study was approved by the Medical Research Centre of Hamad Medical Corporation-Qatar (MRC-01-24-699) and Qatar University Institutional Review Board (QU-IRB 009/2025-EM). Written informed consent will be obtained from all study participants prior to participation. Research findings will be disseminated through institutional stakeholder briefings, presentations at national and international scientific conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals. Patient representatives will contribute throughout the intervention development process.

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a common communication disorder that impacts children’s ability to learn, comprehend and use language effectively, yet it remains under-researched, particularly in the Arab countries. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive narrative summary on the epidemiology of DLD among children aged ≤10 years in the Arab countries.

A scoping review.

PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science.

We included studies that reported on the prevalence or risk factors of DLD in children aged ≤10 years from any Arab country. Only peer-reviewed publications were considered, and the study populations were required to consist of children without underlying medical conditions known to contribute to language or speech delay.

Two reviewers independently performed abstract and full-text screening and extracted relevant data. The risk factors identified as linked to DLD were grouped into maternal and perinatal factors, factors related to children and family and environmental factors.

From 4832 citations, 17 were deemed eligible and included in this review. The reviewed studies were conducted in only seven Arab countries, with the majority from Egypt (eight studies, 47.1%) and Saudi Arabia (four studies, 23.5%). The reported prevalence of DLD ranged from 3.2% in Egyptian children aged 3–6 years to 25.6% in Saudi Arabian children aged 1–5 years. Among the identified risk factors for DLD were sex, low birth weight, a history of speech and language delay in the family, parental socioeconomic status, perinatal complications, larger family size and early screen exposure.

The reported prevalence of DLD varied across the seven Arab countries. Strategies to address the preventable underlying DLD-associated risk factors are required. There is a clear gap in evidence related to the burden of DLD among children in most of the 22 Arab countries, which warrants further research.

Congenital anomalies (CAs) are significant contributors to perinatal mortality and morbidity. The epidemiology of CAs in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries remains insufficiently explored. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing literature on the epidemiology of perinatally diagnosed CAs in the GCC countries.

Scoping review.

We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science for articles published between 1 January 2000 and 1 February 2024.

This review included (a) original observational studies such as cross-sectional, cohort or nested case–control studies, which were sourced from general populations, hospital records or registries; (b) published in English between 2000 and 2024; (c) conducted in any of the six GCC countries; and (d) reporting the prevalence or incidence of CAs.

Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and full texts for inclusion and extracted data using Covidence software.

In total, 51 studies reporting the epidemiology of CAs in the GCC countries were eligible and thus summarised. Saudi Arabia dominated with nearly two-thirds of the studies, while Bahrain contributed the least. All studies were hospital based and primarily retrospective. The most researched CAs were cleft lip and cleft palate as well as nervous and circulatory system anomalies, whereas the least researched CAs were chromosomal abnormalities, digestive anomalies and urinary system anomalies. The review reported discrepancies in CA rates across the region, ranging from 2.5 to 68.7 per 1000 live births for multiple anomalies. Few studies explored the association between CAs and risk factors; the main factors reported were advanced maternal age, maternal diabetes and consanguinity.

This review summarises the heightened prevalence of CAs in the GCC countries, discrepancies in estimates and gaps in research on specific anomalies. Future research is warranted to explore the association between CAs and various risk factors, thereby enabling the development of targeted preventive strategies.