Structural Factors and Quality of Diabetes Health Services in Hail, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The chronic disease burden in Saudi Arabia has created adverse health, social and economic consequences that require urgent attention from health and political authorities. Diabetes has become an epidemic in Saudi Arabia. Data on personal and structural factors associated with diabetes in the Hail region are scarce. Such data are imperative to develop effective strategies to control the epidemic in the region. A cross-sectional study of diabetes patients attending diabetes health care facilities in Hail was conducted using a sample of 392 patients. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. A slightly higher proportion of female participants (54.1%) were included in the sample. Most of the participants were from rural areas (73.9%), and 70.9% of the participants were from the middle-age (30–50 years) category. A close proximity to the diabetes clinic (OR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.08–3.44), good transport facilities (OR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.11–2.78) and feeling contented with supportive services (OR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.12–4.04) were associated with patients’ satisfaction with the overall quality of the diabetes clinic services. The presence of good-quality health care professionals working in these treatment centers also seemed to contribute to patients’ satisfaction with the services they received. These structural factors associated with patients’ satisfaction with the services they received from diabetes clinics must be considered in diabetes control programs in the region. The minimization of structural barriers will eventually assist the national strategic plan, Vision 2030, which aims to improve the quality of life of the Saudi people by 2030.

Assessing medication adherence and their associated factors amongst type-2 diabetes mellitus patients of Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia: A single-center, cross-sectional study.

“…One of the primary objectives of the Vision, 2030 guidelines is to achieve economic as well as health prosperity in KSA by the year 2030, that which has recognized the complete eradication of health discrepancies in chronic disease patients as an utmost priority of public health ( Chowdhury et al, 2021 ) ‘ Vision, 2030 - Quality of Life (QOL) program’, has targeted diabetes which is a critical chronic disease condition. The foremost strategies of this initiative in controlling and preventing diabetes include improvement of the acceptability and ease of access to treatment as well as preventative healthcare services for patients with diabetes across different regions of KSA ( Itumalla et al,2021 ).…”

Adverse Childhood Experience as a Risk Factor for Developing Type 2 Diabetes among the Jazan Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Studies conducted in Saudi Arabia comparing people with ACEs to those without ACEs revealed a two-fold greater risk of physical health problems such as hypertension, T2DM, coronary heart disease, and obesity among people with ACEs [ 13 , 30 , 31 ], agreeing with another study conducted in Saudi Arabia [ 19 ]. This high prevalence of ACEs in Saudi Arabia might contribute to high rates of T2DM in Saudi Arabia, as supported by the WHO ranking, which puts Saudi Arabia in second place among Middle Eastern countries with a high rate of diabetes and seventh highest worldwide [ 32 , 33 ]. Further, a recent study evaluating the prevalence of T2DM in Saudi Arabia from 1999 to 2022 estimated it to be 29.2% in 2011 and 44.1% in 2022 [ 34 ].…”

Patient’s Perception of Diabetes Care Services in Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

“…The study shows that the presence of good-quality health care professionals working in diabetes centers can contribute to patients' satisfaction with the services they received. 8 Moreover, to expand services in underserved areas, the Ministry of Health should partner with other sectors including transportation, water, and power, as well as social security services. 9 To make sure a successful process and achieve good diabetic outcomes, it is imperative that appropriate infrastructure items are in place.…”