Why patients go to private health care facilities? Perspectives from Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Saudi government provides free health care to the population, however still a large number of people visit private health care facilities. This study aimed to measure patients’ satisfaction with and reasons for visiting private health care facilities in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among patients who visited private health facilities in the month of August and September 2019. Data was collected through an online questionnaire with variables on various aspects of care and services and reasons for choosing the facilities. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. A total of 1220 respondents participated in this study. The mean score of the overall patients’ satisfaction was 3.08 (±1.29). About 525 (43.1%) of respondents were satisfied. About 78.1% of respondents were satisfied with the private health facilities’ working hours. Highly satisfied domains were; working hours, the respect and help from the staff. The patients’ age, educational level, nationality, residence, monthly income and occupation were associated with the overall satisfaction in a private health facility (p < 0.05). The main reasons for choosing the private health facilities were delayed appointment in governmental hospitals and less waiting time in private hospitals. Service redesign is required to improve appointment management systems and patients’ satisfaction in public sector health facilities. Key words: Satisfaction; Private health facility; quality in healthcare; Qassim; Saudi Arabia