Factors influencing patient choice of hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Role of Marketing Mix Perception and Participation on Repurchase Intention of Health Consumers

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of product, price, promotion and place perception and participation of health care consumers on brand trust, brand loyalty and repurchase intention. The sample of the study consisted of 681 healthcare consumers living in Diyarbakır, Turkey. A hypothesized model was drawn from previous literature and a questionnaire with 41 items was developed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were conducted to the model. According to the findings of the study while consumers mostly consider price strategies and quality of goods and services; place of hospital is not a major concern of themselves. Brand trust enhances brand loyalty and those two creates repurchase intention. Women and more educated groups are likely to consider products and promotion activities more. High income groups are affected by place of services. Women and users of private hospitals are more loyal, trust more and have repurchase intention. Additionally, promotion activities and participation of respondents were the most important factors to create brand trust and brand loyalty for healthcare institutions. Thus, hospitals can create their own brand values and enhance their success by the help of successful marketing strategies and satisfaction of customer and employee.

Knowledge, attitude and practice toward the mHealth app Mawid: a cross-sectional study

Background

The Mawid app is a mobile appointment system that may improve access to primary healthcare services in Saudi Arabia. This study investigates the Saudis’ level of knowledge of the Mawid app, their attitude towards it and their practice or use of it.

Methods

A cross-sectional design was used. The data were collected using an online survey via Google Forms from April to May 2021. Linear regression and binomial logit models were used to answer the research questions.

Results

A total of 916 responses were collected. There were significant effects of gender, age, marital status, occupation, income and region on knowledge scores (p<0.05). Higher knowledge scores predict greater agreement that the Mawid app facilitates access to health services (p<0.001). The probability of using the app is predicted to be greater among individuals who agree that the Mawid app facilitates access to care (p<0.001). The probability of using the app is predicted to be higher among individuals who have a higher frequency of using primary health centres (p<0.001).

Conclusions

The Ministry of Health has declared eHealth as a transformational enabler for patient-centric care. This study found that the Mawid app facilitated access and improved healthcare services. Knowledge positively influences attitudes toward the app and subsequently its use.

The Influence of Oral Health Knowledge on Parental Practices among the Saudi Parents of Children Aged 2-6 Years in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The parent's oral health knowledge has a great influence on their children, so the aim of the study was to estimate the parental knowledge about oral health care and its influence in maintaining the diet and hygiene practices on their children and also to access how the demographic variables will influence them in taking their child to dental visits.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The self-administered pretested questionnaire was distributed among Saudi parents whose children are in the age group of 2-6 years vising primary health care centers (PHCCs) in Riyadh city. The PHCCs were divided into five zones (Central, East, West, South, and North). 240-250 samples were randomly selected from each zone to reach the prescribed sample size of 1200. The survey will be composed of self-administered pretested questionnaires seeking for age, gender, educational level, and their financial status followed by 26 questions related to parent knowledge about oral health (14), dietary (5), and hygiene (7) practices what they implement on their child. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS software SPSS 25.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

RESULTS

Demographic information showed that the average age of the parents who participated in the study is 32.2 years. The mothers were 942 (75.7%) and fathers were 303 (24.3%) among the participants. The mean knowledge score among the mothers (34.85) is slightly greater than fathers (34.76). Similar results with dietary and hygiene practices were not statistically significant (>0.05). The parents having more than one child have better knowledge, of which the parents with more than three children have better scores, which is statistically significant. 69.3% of the parents prefer taking to a dentist only when they have a problem. Moreover, these findings found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Parents should get access to oral health knowledge to put in practice on their children so as to influence them in gaining better oral health.

Context-based patient choice management in healthcare

Purpose

In healthcare, there is limited knowledge of and experience with patient choice management. The purpose of this paper is to focus on patient choice, apply and test demand-supply-based operating (DSO) logic integrated with clinical setting in clarifying choice contexts, investigate patient’s choice-making at different contexts and suggest context-based choice architectures to manage and develop patient choice.

Design/methodology/approach

Prenatal screening and testing in the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS), Finland, was taken as an example. Choice points were contextualized by using the DSO framework. Women’s reflections, behaviors and experience at different choice contexts were studied by interviewing women participating in prenatal screening and testing. Semi-structured interview data were processed by thematic analysis.

Findings

By applying DSO logic, four choice contexts (prevention, cure, electives and continuous care) were relevant in the prenatal screening and testing episode. Women had different choice-making in prevention and cure mode contexts regarding choice activeness, information needs, social influence, preferences, emotion status and choice-making difficulty. Default choice was widely accepted by women in prevention mode and individual counseling can help women make informed choice in cure mode.

Originality/value

The authors apply the DSO model to contextualize the patient choice in one care episode and compare patient choice-making at different contexts. The authors also suggest the possible context-based choice architectures to manage and promote patient choice

A Cross-Sectional Comparison of Perceived Quality of Primary Care by Hypertensive Patients in Shanghai and Shenzhen, China

Hypertension should be best managed under primary care settings. This study aimed to compare, between Shanghai and Shenzhen, the perceived quality of primary care in terms of accessibility, continuity, co-ordination, and comprehensiveness among hypertensive patients.A cross-sectional study was conducted in Shanghai and Shenzhen, China. Multistage random sampling method was used to select 8 community health centers. Data from primary care users were collected through on-site face-to-face interviews using the primary care assessment tool. Good quality standard was set as a value of 3 for each attribute and a value of 18 for total score.We included 568 patients in Shanghai and 128 patients in Shenzhen. Compared with those in Shenzhen, hypertensive patients in Shanghai reported a higher score in co-ordination of information (3.37 vs 3.66; P < 0.001), but lower scores in continuity of care (3.36 vs 3.27; P < 0.001), and comprehensiveness-service provision (3.26 vs 2.79; P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in total scores between the 2 cities (18.19 vs 18.15). Over 3-quarters of hypertensive patients in both cities reported accessibility (97.2% vs 91.4%) and co-ordination of services (76.1% vs 80.5%) under good quality standard, while <1-quarter of them rated continuity of care (23.6% vs 22.7%), co-ordination of information (4.8% vs 21.1%), and comprehensiveness-service availability (15.1% vs 25.0%) under that standard.Compared with Shenzhen, the perceived quality of primary care for hypertensive patients in Shanghai was better in terms of co-ordination of information, but poorer on continuity of care and comprehensiveness-service provision. Our study suggests that there is room for quality improvement in both cities.

Association of help-seeking behavior with depression and anxiety disorders among gastroenterological patients in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND/AIMS

There is a high prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders among gastroenterological outpatients. Relatively few studies have been done on the help-seeking behavior among those who suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms with or without psychiatric disorders. We aimed to characterize the help-seeking behavior of gastroenterological outpatients and to evaluate if this behavior is linked to the presence of depression and anxiety.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out in gastroenterology clinics in four hospitals in Riyadh between February and September 2013. A self-administrated questionnaire was developed and administered to patients. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaires were used to diagnose depression and anxiety, respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 440 patients completed the study questionnaire. The average age was 36.0 ± 12.8 years and 69% of the patients were males. Complaints included abdominal pain (58%), heartburn (29%), diarrhea or constipation (25%), appetite or weight changes (22%), and nausea or vomiting (16%). Depression was diagnosed in 36%, while anxiety was diagnosed in 28% of the patients. The first intervention was use of medications (68%) and undergoing endoscopy (16%), while few patients initially used herbs or Islamic incantation (7.5%). This first intervention was done primarily (59%) in private sector hospitals rather than government sector hospitals (36%). The rates of depression and anxiety in our patients were higher among those who suffered from multiple complaints for longer durations and with less satisfaction with the offered services.

CONCLUSION

Depression and anxiety are common comorbidities in gastroenterological outpatient population, especially those who have a chronic course of multiple gastrointestinal complaints.

A study investigating the level of satisfaction with the health services provided by the Pharmacist at ENT hospital, Eastern Region Alahsah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The current study aims to evaluate the patient's level of satisfaction with health care services provided by the pharmacist at Aljaber ENT hospital, Eastern Region Alahsah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A cross sectional study was planned from 1st March 2011 until 31st May 2011. A 27 item questionnaire was used, scoring of the responses was done to classify the patient satisfaction into sublevels. The maximum possible score was 36; those scoring less than twenty were graded as poor satisfaction level followed by moderate satisfaction level 21-25, good satisfaction level 26-30 and high satisfaction level 31-36. Statistical package for social science version 13® was used to analyze data, One-way ANOVA and independent sample t-test were applied to see the differences in the level of satisfaction. Every third patient visiting pharmacy was given a chance to participate in this study. A total of N = 991 patients were randomized using the pharmacy appointment number. Of whom 657 patients have shown willingness to participate in this study. The response rate of this study was 66.30%, most of the respondents 383 (58.1%) were male ranging from the age group of 21-40 years with a mean age of 32 years SD 9.73. The mean score for all patients was 26.15 SD ±3.4. Among all the demographic variables a significant difference in satisfaction level was found among in terms of age (df = 8, F = 8.36, p = <0.001(∗)), gender (t = -4.089, df = 656, p=<0.001(∗)) and race (df = 2, F = 8.47, p = <0.001. The satisfaction level among Saudi nationals was least in comparison to Egyptians and others. In general, it is seen that respondents of age 56-60 years were most satisfied with the healthcare services provided by the pharmacist. In addition, the satisfaction level was higher among female patients in comparison to men.

Inpatients' care experience and satisfaction study

Objective and Background:

Measures to promote patient satisfaction are important components of the assessment of outcome and strategies for the delivery of health care. In this article, we assess satisfaction among inpatients and the impact of demographics on satisfaction levels.

Materials and Methods:

This cross-sectional survey adapted from previously used survey tools and validated in our patient group included questions on demographics, communication skills, hospital environment, and the patients’ overall evaluation of the hospital. Inpatients from acute wards of five different specialties who stayed for at least 2 days were enrolled.

Results:

There were 988 respondents with a mean age of 39.1 years (25.9%) and the mean length of stay (LOS) of 10.0 days (24.1%). Illiteracy rate was 42.4%, and 43.1% were male. The overall satisfaction scores—out of five—were 4.3 (0.6%) for communication with nurses, 4.4 (0.4%) for communication with doctors, and 4.1 (0.3%) for hospital environment; 98.9% of the patients would recommend the hospital to their family and friends. The lowest score was for the “room environment” (3.99, 0.8%) and the highest for overall services of the hospital (4.7, 0.5%). Satisfaction levels drop significantly with LOS of more than 4 days (P < 0.006). The satisfaction was higher in females than males across all the three domains of care assessed (P < 0.005). The highest satisfaction seen in the obstetrics service could be explained by the nature of the condition normally seen in this department and the normally good outcome. There was higher satisfaction in the medical than surgical services but this reached a significant level for the overall center score domain only (4.1, 0.3% versus 4.0, 0.3%; P < 0.0001).

Conclusion:

The factors with positive impact on satisfaction were the female gender and shorter LOS. There was higher satisfaction in the medical than surgical services for all three domains reaching significant levels for center score only.

Frequent use of emergency departments in Saudi public hospitals: implications for primary health care services

This study aims to determine the prevalence, factors and reasons associated with the frequent use of public emergency departments (EDs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study employed a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from adult patients on aspects such as demographic characteristics, accessibility, and health-related factors. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore the issue. The results indicated that about 30% of respondents were considered as "frequent users" of the EDs. Males, older patients, those living closer to EDs, and patients who had chronic illnesses or were hospitalized in the past year were more likely to use EDs frequently. Moreover, the study found that patients who were labeled as "frequent users" of the EDs were also frequent users of "other" health care facilities. Health decision makers should facilitate primary health centers with necessary resources that fulfill the patients' health needs and reduce the burden on EDs.

Rheumatological medicine literacy among Middle Eastern populations

BACKGROUND

It has been observed for years that many Middle Eastern patients with autoimmune rheumatic disorders, are more likely to be delayed in seeing a rheumatologist for their symptoms and that the rheumatology services are in general under-utilized by the population.

AIM

To explore if patients with autoimmune rheumatic disorders were truly delayed in seeing rheumatologists and to explore the possible reasons for that delay should any delay be documented.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Patients suffering from chronic autoimmune rheumatic disorders were interviewed and were asked to answer a questionnaire that assesses their initial set of actions when they had their first symptoms of disease, how much time they took to see a rheumatologist and their background knowledge about rheumatology as a specialty before and after they saw a rheumatologist.

RESULTS

Seventy-eight patients, 57 (73%) females and 21 (27%) males were included in this study. Their ages ranged from 11 to 72 years with a mean of 38.9 +/- 13 years. Patients' explanations for their initial symptoms were 'evil eye doing', disease, exertion, cold weather and trauma in 44%, 37%, 20%, 16% and 8% respectively. Ninety-six percent of patients had to make a total of 166 consultations first at other specialties before they were finally advised or directed to see a rheumatologist. Non-rheumatologist referrals to rheumatologists happened in only 33% of the time. The duration from the onset of the disease until patients finally came to see a rheumatologist ranged from 0.5 weeks to 432 weeks with a mean of 51 +/- 88 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

General health literacy and knowledge of the rheumatology scope of service is extremely limited among Middle Eastern patients. Most patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases make their initial consultations at clinics other than rheumatology clinics and non-rheumatologists have been shown to consistently not refer patients with rheumatic diseases to rheumatologists. Wrong diagnosis is attributed to rheumatology symptoms by non-rheumatologists 82% of the time. Level of education of patients, has no impact on their choice of the right specialty to be consulted for their disease symptoms.