Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To provide details on patient satisfaction with the Saudi healthcare system and patient characteristics associated with satisfaction levels using nationally representative survey data. METHODS: A cross-sectional secondary analysis was conducted using the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia World Health Survey (KSAWHS 2019) data, which collected information on demographics, health status, chronic conditions, and access to and use of healthcare services among Saudi adults aged ≥15 years. Descriptive statistics and logistics regression analyses were performed to identify significant predictors of satisfaction with Saudi healthcare services. RESULTS: Between April and July 2019, 8,912 individuals completed the KSAWHS 2019 individual questionnaire. Out of them 3,929 participants received healthcare services in the last 12 months, were aged ≥15 years, submitted completed records, and were included in this study. The majority of study participants (89.4%) were satisfied with the Saudi healthcare system. Age, marital status, language, health status, presence of chronic conditions, and number of primary healthcare centers per region were significantly and positively associated with patient satisfaction, while gender, type of clinic last visited, and number of hospitals per region were significantly and negatively associated with patient satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Patient satisfaction with healthcare systems is an important assessment metric for overall system performance. Regular measurement of patient satisfaction and characteristics associated with levels of satisfaction can provide meaningful feedback for health policymakers and administrators to develop interventions to improve system performance.