Affiliation:
1. Gilead Sciences Inc
2. Ministry of Health
3. Dubai Hospital
4. Burjeel Medical Center
5. King Abdullah Medical City
6. Prince Sultan Military Medical City
7. Dubai Medical College
8. AlignnEficient Health Consultancies
9. Lebanese American University Medical Center-Rizk Hospital
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The significance of Patient Engagement (PE) is widely acknowledged as a crucial element in fostering positive health outcomes, elevating care quality, and streamlining healthcare systems. Despite its recognized advantages, the level of patient engagement in Arab nations remains suboptimal.
Methods
A high-level assembly was convened in Dubai, assembling eleven distinguished patient advocates from diverse Arab countries. Their collective aim was to dissect the obstacles hindering patient engagement in the Arab world and propose pragmatic strategies to surmount them. First, a series of five open-ended, comprehensive questions were posed and thoroughly deliberated upon. Second, the barriers to patient engagement within the experts’ respective communities were debated. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted and two reports were generated by two independent researchers from the original meeting recordings.
Results
This paper highlights the importance of patient engagement in advancing healthcare and categorizes barriers to patient engagement as patient-related, provider-related, or system/government related. The experts identified the primary gaps in patient engagement and proposed strategies to promote it, with a primary focus on motivating both patients and providers towards shared decision-making.
Conclusions
This paper amalgamates the insights and recommendations distilled from this expert gathering, juxtaposing them within the broader context of existing literature on patient engagement. Offering a comprehensive viewpoint, this article delves into the challenges and opportunities intrinsic to bolstering patient engagement in the Arab world. Moreover, it spotlights invaluable tools often overlooked within Arab countries. The practical insights furnished in this piece serve as a roadmap for administrators and decision-makers, providing guidance to enhance patient engagement on both a national and institutional scale.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC