English abstract
Background We aim to address the dearth of knowledge regarding general electroconvulsive therapy practice in
Oman, by examining and investigating the electroconvulsive therapy practices at all hospitals providing electro‑
convulsive therapy across the country, and to compare our local practice against the National Institute for Health
and Care Excellence guidelines on the appropriate use of electroconvulsive therapy to inform the development of
guidelines locally. Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and Al Masarra Hospital were included in a nationwide audit of
all hospitals in Oman that administer electroconvulsive therapy. The demographics, diagnostic and electroconvul‑
sive therapy indications, treatment characteristics, and side-efect profles of all patients who had electroconvulsive
therapy between January 2019 and December 2020 were collected from the hospital's electronic data. A descriptive
analysis of the results was performed.
Results The total number of patients was 197 (92 males and 105 females). The most common diagnosis was schizo‑
phrenia 32.5%, followed by major depressive disorder 31.5%. The most common immediate side efect was headache
10.2%, followed by dizziness 7.1%, and amnesia 4.1%. Only 57.4% of patients who received electroconvulsive therapy
met the NICE guidelines for appropriate electroconvulsive therapy use. Clinical status was assessed after each elec‑
troconvulsive therapy session for 66% of patients, and cognitive function monitoring was achieved for only 7.6% of
patients.
Conclusions The current audit has indicated that the assessment of the clinical status and cognitive functions of
electroconvulsive therapy patients is inadequate. Because there is a signifcant rate of cognitive dysfunction following
electroconvulsive therapy delivery, cognitive assessment before, during, and after therapy should be more rigorously
implemented and documented.
