Abstract
BackgroundDespite the importance and advantages of family medicine, it has poorly developed in Arab communities when compared to other medical specialties. Therefore, in this study, we aim to investigate the perception of the Saudi population about family medicine and physicians.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study was carried out using a self-administered structured online survey tool through the Google Forms platform. The online questionnaire was distributed to all Saudi Arabia’s residents aged more than 15 years. A predesigned questionnaire was used and included items collecting data about participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, awareness/knowledge, and experience/attitudes.ResultsA total of 6974 valid participants were included in the current study, where the age group 25–35 years (37.1%) and 51.7% of them were females. Out of the included participants, 81.3% (n = 5671) did not report any chronic illnesses, while the other 18.7% (n = 1303) did. The mean awareness and knowledge score for all participants was 9.57 ± 3.39 (out of 20 possible points), while the mean experience and attitude score for all participants was 10.15 ± 2.58 (out of 16 possible points). Patients’ perceptions, whether awareness and knowledge or experience and attitude scores, were significantly correlated (P-value < 0.001) to chronic illness status, being a healthcare worker, job, marital status, and gender factors. Moreover, experience and attitude score was additionally correlated to residence region (P-value = 0.034) and participants’ nationality (P-value< 0.001).ConclusionGeneral population in Saudi Arabia were aware about the importance of family physicians and they trust them. The identified predictors should be considered when trying to increase public awareness and enhance the experience with family physicians.
Highlights
In 1969, family medicine specialty was first inaugurated in the United States by the American Board of Specialties on recommendations of Citizens’ Commission on Medical Education of the American Medical Association, Murad et al BMC Primary Care (2022) 23:16 on firs-contact care, continuous care, coordinated care, and comprehensive care which family medicine is built to provide [1, 2]
General population in Saudi Arabia were aware about the importance of family physicians and they trust them
Patients’ opinions about primary care services have changed in the past two decades in Saudi Arabia ever since the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Saudi Arabia made it compulsary for admission to hospitals to be through primary care center transfers, except for emergency treatments [3]
Summary
In 1969, family medicine specialty was first inaugurated in the United States by the American Board of Specialties on recommendations of Citizens’ Commission on Medical Education of the American Medical Association, Murad et al BMC Primary Care (2022) 23:16 on firs-contact care, continuous care, coordinated care, and comprehensive care which family medicine is built to provide [1, 2]. A successful family medicine practice relies mainly on the relationship between a doctor and his patient This implies the importance of cooperation between patients and their doctors to provide the required information relevant to their health status [6]. Better compliance has been reportedly associated with the enhanced quality of family medicine and the detailed information for patients that lead to more satisfaction and more willingness to cooperate [4, 11]. This indicates the importance of improving family medicine and the relationship between patients and doctors. In this study, we aim to investigate the perception of the Saudi population about family medicine and physicians
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