Perception of Healthcare Worker about Patient Experience in the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

Globally, patient experience is monitored to obtain information concerning the quality and delivery of care. The patient experience in healthcare reflects the events during the care process, offers information concerning healthcare providers’ performance, and significantly influences the care outcome. This study’s focus is to explore the perception of healthcare workers’ perception of patient experience in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly during the Covid-19, and the potential impact such perceptions have on the quality and delivery of care. This study will adopt a descriptive, cross-sectional research approach in establishing the perception of healthcare workers about patient experiences among five hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data will be collected using questionnaires and analyzed usingSPSS version 21.

Perception of Healthcare Worker (HCW) about Patient Experience in the KSA

In healthcare settings worldwide, patient experience is monitored to obtain information concerning the quality and delivery of care. The patient experience reflects the events during the care process and offers information concerning healthcare providers’ performance. It is the process of the provision of healthcare (Al Mousa et al., 2021). Most researchers agree that assessment and understanding of the healthcare patient and caregiver experience provides an opportunity to reflect and improve nursing care and patient outcomes (Berkowitz, 2016; Al Mousa et al., 2021). Studies across healthcare systems globally show that the work environment alongside safety culture and patient engagement are a significant determining factor in healthcare workers’ perception of the patient experience. Because health care workers, particularly nurses, spend much time with the patients, they impact the patients’ care experience. It appears that when patients have a positive and affirmative experience with the health care workers, the caregivers also experience a positive and healthy work setting. The HCWs are also encouraged to offer patients quality and excellent care (Kieft et al., 2014). Even though healthcare workers’ perception of the patient experience is globally recognized as a determinant to the quality and delivery of care, few studies have been conducted in Saudi Arabia concerning the area. The purpose of this study is to systematically review the perception of healthcare workers about patient experience in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly during the Covid-19, and the potential impact such perceptions have on the quality and delivery of care.

Several studies (Al-Tannir et al. 2017; Alshammari et al. 2019; Kieft et al. 2014; and Abolfotouh et al. 2020) have revealed a positive link between caregivers’ perception of patient experience and quality and delivery. These studies explored different aspects of patient experience and healthcare workers’ perceptions concerning the same in different countries globally, including Saudi Arabia. Alshammari et al. (2019) examined the perception of hospital healthcare workers concerning the safety culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They noted that the KSA healthcare workers uphold patient safety culture, a crucial determinant of the region’s delivery and quality of care. The researchers argued that patient safety culture is a critical element in care delivery and a vital issue in the management of healthcare services.

The concept is crucial for healthcare organizations striving to realign healthcare workers’ objectives to the patient welfare and delivery of quality care. Patient safety in the hospital environment includes the patient/clients’ safety and the healthcare professional, and safety culture is becoming a baseline data for healthcare improvements (Rajalatchumi et al., 2018). Patients’ safety is a primary consideration for the healthcare policy agenda in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The nurse managers support patient safety by evaluating the nurse’s frankness and allocating nurses with proven open communication to tasks that optimum use of similar traits. Such practices highlight the significance of open communication concerning errors and encouraging feedback on the adopted interventions or changes (Alshammari et al., 2019). The effect is the improved patient safety and safety and satisfaction of the healthcare workers.

Al-Tannir et al. (2017) examined patient experiences of engagement with healthcare plans and the professionals’ perceptions about the same. The researchers noted varying experiences between the patient and caregivers. Approximately 73% of the patients and their family members felt engaged by the physicians and nurses in decision-making about the care plans. As a result, they felt as if they were partners in the care plan. Besides, most nurses and physicians supposed that patient engagement is a vital element for improving care outcomes. The study findings confirm the long-held belief that patient engagement and the healthcare professionals’ positive perception of such engagement are the foundation for high-quality healthcare, enhancing health outcomes, and decreasing healthcare expenditures. Many Western nations have implemented policies and formal organizational programs prioritizing the active contribution of the patients in healthcare (Simmons, Wolever, Bechard & Snyderman, 2014).

The definition of patient engagement differs significantly depending on the context. However, the widely held definition is an active corporation between the patients and their families and healthcare experts at different levels of the healthcare systems, including direct care, policy-making, governance, and organizational design to improve healthcare outcomes. Information concerning patients’ viewpoints of the relationship disclose their experiences and the caregivers’ degree of care, which can be adopted for future decision-making. However, research shows that healthcare structures still find it puzzling to design and adopt effective engagement among clients, their families, and healthcare. Besides, patient engagement in Saudi Arabia is not yet advanced as in Western countries (Al-Tannir et al., 2017). Hence, healthcare administrators need assistance to foster patient engagement to allow patients to take part effectively in their care.

However, besides the safety culture and patient engagement, the work environment within the healthcare systems also influences the perception of healthcare workers about patient experience, and subsequently, care delivery and quality. A healthy working environment promotes a positive perception of healthcare workers about the patient experience. A healthy healthcare environment is a work setting where the caregivers can achieve the organization’s goals and derive personal satisfaction from work and where healthcare workers are challenged to apply their clinical knowledge, expertise, and skills. Besides, healthcare workers in such environments offer quality patient care (Kieft et al., 2014). The grounded theory recognizes eight “essentials of magnetism,” defining the nursing and healthcare work environment and impacting the quality of care from the nursing perspective. Such include: a) clinically competent nurses; b) adequate staffing; c) nursing autonomy; d) nurse leader support; e) control over care practice; f) support for further education; and h) valuing nurse concerns (Kieft et al., 2014). Positive patient experience is enhanced when the healthcare organization strives to meet this critical magnetism.

The outbreak of covid-19 seems to have significantly changed attitudes and perceptions of healthcare workers concerning the patient experience. Abolfotouh et al. (2020) showed that healthcare workers faced considerable physical and mental stress caring for covid-19 patients. With the outbreak of the pandemic, the healthcare environment was no safe place anymore. According to the researchers, reports worldwide indicated that stress due to covid-19 led to some healthcare workers taking their life, while others died from exhaustion because of being overstressed. In KSA, healthcare workers already have a negative perception of MERS-CoV infection (Abolfotouh et al., 2020). Most healthcare workers felt that hospital settings posed a risk for contracting covid-19 and did feel safe adopting standard infection-control procedures. The low attitude was attributed to a lack of experience to infectious outbreaks with the magnitude of covid-19 (Abolfotouh et al. 2017). Because of the rapid spread of Covid-19 and the nation’s experience in battling a similar coronavirus (MERS-CoV), Saudi Arabia led the world in its swift hospital preparedness and shifted community actions to respond to coronavirus (Abolfotouh et al. 2020). On the same note, Lu, Wang, Lin & Li (2020) also observed increased anxiety, fear, and depression due to Covid-19 among medical staff because of the perceived risks due to the work environment. To reduce such stress caused by pandemics such as covid-19 requires healthcare organizations to enforce mandatory shifts and social support to mitigate negative perceptions about patient experience among caregivers.

Method

Study Design

This study will adopt a descriptive, cross-sectional research method in defining the perception of healthcare workers about patient experiences among five hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that emphasizes safety culture, patient engagement, and a healthy working environment.

Research Participants

The researcher anticipates interviewing 25 healthcare professionals in the selected healthcare organizations. The research participants will be carefully chosen using systemic random sampling, ensuring an equal likelihood of being selected. Notwithstanding age, affiliation, and gender, the participants will be listed based on their profession and numbered individually. From the sample interval of three, the research will choose number two to serve as the two for arriving at the sample size. Only participants engaged in the everyday activities of the selected healthcare organizations will be chosen to participate in the study. Students in their placement at the healthcare organizations will be excepted from the study.

Data Collection

Self-administered questionnaires will be adopted to assess the characteristics of the participants, including a duration of employment and duration at the current healthcare organization, working hours per week, specialty, and direct contact with patients, and educational level. The next page of the questionnaire will focus on healthcare professionals’ perceptions concerning the patient experience. The content areas will also include personal experiences with covid-19, opinions concerning managing patients with emerging infectious diseases, attitudes, perceptions of patient experience in controlling communicable diseases, and educational needs. The survey will minister on paper using English or Arabic depending on the respondent’s preference.

Ethical Consideration

The researcher will seek ethical permission to research the medical research and studies department, KSA. An informed consent form will be issued to research participants with a brief account of the research, study implication, participant’s rights, protection of their anonymity, and confidentiality.

Data Analysis

A Chi-Square will be adopted to compare the differences in the magnitudes of categorical variables. The collected data will be analyzed statistically using SPSS version 21. The categorical data will be expressed as a percentage, while arithmetical data will be expressed as mean, standard deviations. The researcher will adopt a Kruskal–Wallis and Whitney U to define the correlation between participants’ perceptions and patient experiences. A p-value of less than 0.05 was regarded as significant.

Results

The participants’ perception of patient care experience and the resulting impact on care delivery and quality will be captured using descriptive statistics. The inferential statistical procedure will be completed using ANOVA. The results will be presented in the form of tables. The results will include healthcare workers’ and patients’ demographic characteristics, HCW’s personal experiences with patients during infectious disease outbreaks, educational needs, infection control attitudes, and perceptions about engagement and safety culture with Saudi Arabia.

                                                                     Discussion

This study will provide an extensive review of healthcare workers’ perceptions of patient experiences in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Studies have proved a positive association between the perception of caregivers about patient experience and quality and delivery. Different aspects of patient experience and healthcare workers’ perceptions concerning the same, including patient engagement, patient safety culture, and a safe working environment, have been studied across many countries and founded to impact care quality and delivery (Alshammari et al. 2019;  Al-Tannir et al. 2017; Kieft et al., 2014; and Abolfotouh et al. 2020). Patient safety culture is crucial for healthcare organizations striving to realign healthcare workers objectives to the patient welfare and delivery of quality care and play a significant role in determining healthcare workers’ perception about the patient experience (Rajalatchumi et al., 2018). Patient engagement and the healthcare professionals’ positive perception of such engagement has also been linked to high-quality healthcare, enhancing health outcomes, and decreasing healthcare costs (Simmons, Wolever, Bechard & Snyderman, 2014). Another critical determinant of healthcare workers’ perception of patient experience is the work environment. A healthy and less risky work setting promotes a positive perception of patient expertise among healthcare professionals leading to quality and safe care (Al-Tannir et al., 2017). A risky work environment leads to mental health challenges among healthcare workers, leading to poor care outcomes (Abolfotouh et al., 2020).

Conclusion

The patient experience in healthcare reflects the events during the care process, offers information concerning healthcare providers’ performance, and significantly influences the care outcome. The present research is a systematic review of healthcare workers’ perception of patient experience in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the potential impact such perceptions have on the quality and delivery of care.