A Qualitative Investigation of Factors Affecting Saudi Patients' Communication Experience with Non-Saudi Physicians in Saudi Arabia

• Published in: Healthcare (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 118
• Main Authors: Alkhamees, Mohammad, Lea, Jackie, Islam, Md Shahidul, Alasqah, Ibrahim, Alzghaibi, Haitham, Alharbi, Mohammad F, Albejaidi, Fahad, Mughal, Yasir Hayat, Parker, Vicki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30-12-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Analysis; Communication; communications; Cultural capital; Culture; Data analysis; Data collection; Expatriates; Habitus; Health services; Hospitals; interviews; Medical care, Cost of; Medical errors; Medical research; Patients; Physician and patient; Physicians; Prevention; Saudi Arabia; Society; thematic analysis; Saudi Arabia; Saudi Arabia; communications; thematic analysis; culture; patients; interviews
• ISSN: 2227-9032; 2227-9032
• DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11010118

(1) Background: Communication is the main issue between the patient and physician. Communication gaps lead to medical errors, mistakes, and wrong diagnoses and treatments. It would certainly be a cause of patient dissatisfaction, the physicians' job dissatisfaction, and the increase in the cost of health services. (2) Objectives: The objective of the study was to explore the perception of Saudi patients when they meet non-Saudi consultants at hospitals. (3) Material and Methods: This study is exploratory in nature. Semi-structured face to face interviews were conducted. Study participants were patients from the outpatient department of the Hospitals of Qassim province, Saudi Arabia. A total of eight respondents, four male and four female, participated in the study. (4) Results: Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Two main themes emerged: the first theme is encountering difference, with three sub-themes, while the second one is the absence of partnering, with four sub-themes. (5) Conclusions: The analysis of the patients' experiences of their medical encounters revealed that the effectiveness of the physician-patient communication was jeopardized by two challenges: encountering differences and the absence of partnering. (6) Limitations: This study was conducted in one site only and hence findings must be tested in application to other sites in other parts of Saudi Arabia and in other similar countries. A further limitation of this study was the cultural barrier that was encountered by the researcher during the interview process.