Innovation in Health Services alignment with the Competitive Advantage Achievement in Private Hospitals in Saudi Arabia: Strategic Evidence

Abstract Background The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia is expanding the country’s telemedicine services by using advanced technology in health services. In doing so, an e-health application (app), Seha, was introduced in 2018 that allows individuals to have face-to-face visual medical consultations with their doctors on their smartphones. Objective This study evaluated the effectiveness of the app in improving healthcare delivery by ensuring patient satisfaction with the care given, increasing access to care, and improving efficiency in the healthcare system. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used to assess the perceptions of users of the Seha app and non-users who continued with traditional health services. The data were collected using an online survey via Google Forms between June 2020 and September 2020. Independent t tests and chi-square (χ2) tests were conducted to answer the research questions. Results There was a significant difference between users and non-users in terms of ease of access to health services (t = − 9.38, p < 0.05), with app users having a higher mean score (4.19 ± 0.91) than non-users (3.41 ± 1.00); satisfaction with health services (t = − 6.33, p < 0.05), with users having a higher mean score (3.96 ± 0.91) than non-users (3.45 ± 0.94); and efficiency (only one visit needed for treatment) (t = − 3.20, p < 0.05), with users having a higher mean score (3.71 ± 0.93) than non-users (3.45 ± 0.93). There were significant associations between the use of the Seha app and age (χ2 = 8.79, p < 0.05), gender (χ2 = 22.19, p < 0.05), region (χ2 = 19.74, p < 0.05), and occupation (χ2 = 22.05, p < 0.05). There were significant relationships between the three items (on access, satisfaction, and efficiency) and experiencing technical issues (t = 4.47, t = 8.11, and t = 3.24, respectively, p < 0.05), with users who faced technical problems having significantly lower mean scores for all three items. Conclusion This study provided evidence that the Seha app improved the delivery of healthcare in Saudi Arabia. Users of the app had a better health experience in terms of their perceived ease of access to healthcare services; their satisfaction with healthcare services; and the efficiency of the system, measured by the number of required doctor visits. Other factors that appeared to influence the use of the app included age, gender, usual source of care, and technical difficulties.

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Top four types of sentinel events in Saudi Arabia during the period 2016–19

International Journal for Quality in Health Care ◽

10.1093/intqhc/mzab026 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nasser Altalhi ◽

Haifa Alnaimi ◽

Mafaten Chaouali ◽

Falaa Alahmari ◽

Noor Alabdulkareem ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Patient Safety ◽

Reporting System ◽

Improve Patient Safety ◽

Health Care Facilities ◽

Common Root ◽

Private Hospitals ◽

Care Facilities ◽

Sentinel Events

Abstract Background This study discusses the summary, investigation and root causes of the top four sentinel events (SEs) in Saudi Arabia (SA) that occurred between January 2016 and December 2019, as reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and private hospitals through the MOH SE reporting system (SERS). It is intended for use by legislators, health-care facilities and the public to shed light on areas that still need improvement to preserve patient safety. Objectives The purpose of this study is to review the most common SEs reported by the MOH and private hospitals between the years 2016 and 2019 to assess the patterns and identify risk areas and the common root causes of these events in order to promote country-wide learning and support services that can improve patient safety. Methods In this retrospective descriptive study, the data were retrieved from the SERS, which routinely collects records from both MOH and private hospitals in SA. SEs were analyzed by type of event, location, time, patient demographics, outcome and root causes. Results There were 727 SEs during this period, 38.4% of which were under the category of unexpected patient death, 19.4% under maternal death, 11.7% under unexpected loss of limb or function and 9.9% under retained instruments or sponge. Common root causes were related to policies and procedures, guidelines, miscommunication between health-care facilities, shortage of staff and lack of competencies. Conclusion Given these results, efforts should focus on improving the care of deteriorating patients in general wards, ICU (Intensive Care Units) admission/discharge criteria and maternal, child and surgical safety. The results also highlighted the problem of underreporting of SEs, which needs to be addressed and improved. Linking data sources such as claims and patient complaints databases and electronic medical records to the national reporting system must also be considered to ensure an optimal estimation of the number of events.

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Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on health services provided to elderly population in Saudi Arabia

King Khalid University Journal of Health Sciences ◽

10.4103/kkujhs.kkujhs_5_21 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 24

Author(s):

Hayfa AlHefdhi ◽

Faten Alkahtani ◽

Fatemah Shamakhi ◽

Fayzah Alrazhi ◽

Anhar Alqahtani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Health Services ◽

Elderly Population

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Blue Ocean Strategy in Saudi Arabia Telecommunication Companies and Its Impact on the Competitive Advantage

Journal of Accounting & Marketing ◽

10.4172/2168-9601.1000182 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Abdullah M Hersh ◽

Khalil S Abusaleem

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Competitive Advantage ◽

Telecommunication Companies

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Measuring the Efficiency of Health Services Areas in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA): A Comparative Study between the Years 2014 and 2006

International Journal of Economics and Finance ◽

10.5539/ijef.v9n4p172 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 172 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sanaa Mohamed Aly Helal ◽

Haga Abdelrahman Elimam

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Data Envelopment Analysis ◽

Health Services ◽

Production Efficiency ◽

Data Envelopment ◽

Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽

Average Production ◽

Government Hospitals ◽

The Government ◽

Using Data

The study aimed to assess the efficiency of health services provided by the government hospitals in various districts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The number of beds at hospitals, doctors, nursing staff and paramedical categories were used as inputs for the model. The average productivity efficiency of government hospitals in the districts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2014 was 92.3%; whereas, the average internal production efficiency of these districts in the provision of health services through their respective hospitals was 94.7%; and the average external productivity efficiency in the different cities of the districts in Kingdom of the Saudi Arabia was 97.5%. It has been found that the average overall productivity efficiency was 90.2%, concerning the relative efficiency indicators of government hospitals, which were based on the hospitals’ distribution of Saudi Arabian districts in 2006. An analysis of the indicator showed that the average production efficiency of the services provided (internally) by the districts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was 94.7%, and that the average of the external production efficiency for such services was 95.4%. The Data Envelopment Analysis is a successful technique in measuring the performance efficiency of hospitals and it also assists to identify possible improvement and reduction in cost.

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Comparison of thromboprophylaxis patterns in arthroplasty in public and private hospitals

Einstein (São Paulo) ◽

10.1590/s1679-45082015gs3057 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 410-416

Author(s):

Aline Pinheiro dos Santos Cortada ◽

Telma Gomes da Silva ◽

André Campos da Silva ◽

Ricardo Prado Golmia ◽

Renata Leborato Guerra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Venous Thromboembolism ◽

Health Services ◽

Hip Replacement ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Thromboembolism Prophylaxis ◽

Private Hospitals ◽

Public And Private ◽

Total Cost ◽

Private Organization

Objective To compare therapy for prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism and costs related to hospitalization of patients undergoing total knee and hip replacement within the context of the Brazilian health system.Methods A retrospective study of patients undergoing arthroplasty in 2010 in a public hospital and two private hospitals in the state of São Paulo, conducted by means of medical record review. Costs were estimated based on the use of health care resources during hospitalization. A descriptive analysis was performed using frequency and mean (standard deviation) according to the type of care delivered (by public or private organization).Results A total of 215 patients were evaluated, and 56.3% were submitted to knee surgery and 43.7%, to hip replacement. Approximately 88% and 98% of patients from public and private health services, respectively, received some form of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, and enoxaparin was the drug most widely used in both systems. The total cost of prophylaxis was R$ 1,873.01 (R$ 26.38 per patient) in the public service and R$ 21,559.73 (R$ 163.33 per patient) in the private service. For the individuals who presented with thromboembolism, the average cost of hospitalization was R$ 6,210.80 and R$ 43,792.59 per patient in public and private health services, respectively.Conclusion Thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients undergoing arthroplasty is most commonly used in the private health services than public organizations, despite its high costs in both services. The cost per patient with thrombosis during hospitalization was higher than the total cost of prophylaxis, suggesting that prevention is associated to better cost-benefit ratio.

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Involvement of Community Pharmacists in Public Health Services in Asir Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross‐sectional Study

International Journal of Clinical Practice ◽

10.1111/ijcp.14940 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mona Almanasef ◽

Dalia Almaghaslah ◽

Geetha Kandasamy ◽

Rajalakshimi Vasudevan ◽

Sadia Batool

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Health Services ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Public Health Services ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Asir Region

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Nonmental Healthcare Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Mental Health Services in Asir Region, KSA

Journal of Psychiatry & Mental Disorders ◽

10.26420/jpsychiatrymentaldisord.2021.1046 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Alsubaie SS ◽

◽

Al-Hufayyan RS ◽

Mohammed MS ◽

Alsufyani AH ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Health Services ◽

Work Experience ◽

Future Research ◽

P Value ◽

Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Asir Region

Objectives: Most patients who visit other clinics are surprised when they referred to psychiatric clinics, which may be related to the social stigma of mental illness or nonmental health professionals’ (NMHPs) negative attitude toward psychiatric illness. The study aimed to assess attitudes toward mental health services among NMHPs in Asir region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and to correlate the results with different variables. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among NMHPs (n=358) in Asir region of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia by using an electronic questionnaire through WhatsApp application. Results: Young age, female gender, single marital status, did not ever had known or shared in giving care to a mentally ill person, work experience less than 10 years, nursing specialty, and holding diploma degree represented the significant statistical correlation with negative attitudes toward mental health services scale (p-value = <0.001; 0.01; 0.003; 0.02; <0.001; 0.02 and <0.001, respectively). Conclusion: This study demonstrates positive attitude toward mental health services among NMHPs. There is need for better educational measures and more training courses at the undergraduate level of NMHPs in order to improve such attitude. Future research could investigate the outcomes of these measures and courses.

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What E-Mental Health Can Offer to Saudi Arabia Using an Example of Australian E-Mental Health

Health Care Delivery and Clinical Science ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-3926-1.ch071 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 1412-1421

Author(s):

Yamam Abuzinadah ◽

Bader Binhadyan ◽

Nilmini Wickramasinghe

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Health Services ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Health Issues ◽

Mental Health Issues ◽

Seeking Help ◽

Mental Health Programs

Mental health have become a very influential topic around the world due to the increase of mental health issues that have been reported through national research and surveys. Many studies have been done along the years around the barriers in regards to seeking help in deferent countries and communities. This research aims to look closely into these barriers targeting issues and potential solutions, specifically for Saudi Arabia. Recently, the use of e-mental health services have proven to be an effective method to improve is barriers to mental health treatment. However, this chapter addresses the application and suitably of e-mental health programs for Saudi Arabia mental health services. To do so, a case study of Australian e-mental health services was selected to assist with the investigations.

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