Volume 10, Issue 2 (February 2023), Pages: 84-89
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Original Research Paper
Evaluation of patient satisfaction with the virtual clinic in Jazan City: Saudi Arabia
Author(s):
Mada Hamzi 1, *, Mada Mahdi 2, Ali Noshaily 1, Layla Mahdi 3
Affiliation(s):
1Abu Arish General Hospital, Abu Arish, Saudi Arabia
2Baish General Hospital, Baish, Saudi Arabia
3National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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* Corresponding Author.
Corresponding author's ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5948-7197
Digital Object Identifier:
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2023.02.011
Abstract:
Patient satisfaction is a key component in the quality of care and is an element in the dissemination and adoption of virtual clinic facilities. Evaluating patient satisfaction has become an essential indicator of healthcare performance and outcomes. The aim of the study was to evaluate patient satisfaction with the virtual clinic. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenience sample of 305 patients visiting a virtual clinic at three general hospitals in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted using a quantitative descriptive correlational design. The researcher employed the Telehealth Satisfaction Scale to assess patient satisfaction with virtual clinic care. Satisfaction scores were compared between groups using an independent sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance. The study indicated that patients reported a high degree of satisfaction with their virtual clinic. Most scale item averages were greater than 3, indicating ratings of "good" to "excellent" satisfaction. There was no statistically significant relationship between patient satisfaction with the virtual clinic and sociodemographic characteristics. Despite the fact that virtual clinics in the healthcare sector in the Jazan area are relatively new, the survey results show high levels of satisfaction with the service. The courtesy, respect, sensitivity, and friendliness of the virtual clinic staff and respecting patients' privacy were essential to patients, demonstrating that virtual clinics may improve access to care.
© 2022 The Authors. Published by IASE.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Keywords: Patient satisfaction, Virtual clinic, Telehealth satisfaction scale, Saudi Arabia
Article History: Received 14 August 2022, Received in revised form 31 October 2022, Accepted 1 November 2022
Acknowledgment
The researchers would like to thank all the following people in the contributing hospitals for enabling and encouraging the collection of data. Abuarish General Hospital: Mousa Hamad AL-Nokhaifi (Hospital Director), and Samia Ahmad Musharei (OPD Head Nurse). Baish General Hospital: Eissa Abdullah Jafary (Hospital Director), and Hamza Eissa Ateia (virtual clinic Director). Sabya General Hospital: Abdu Hassan Jafary (Hospital Director), and Salha Eissa Shamy (virtual clinic coordinator).
Compliance with ethical standards
Ethical considerations
The Saudi Ministry of Health Institutional Review Board approved the current study (Ref. No.2179). In addition, the author informed the directors of the virtual clinics. Patients were convinced that completing the questionnaires had no influence on the fulfillment of their treatment plan within the virtual clinic. Patients were advised that engagement in the study was fully elective and that their anonymity and confidentiality would be maintained.
Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Citation:
Hamzi M, Mahdi M, Noshaily A, and Mahdi L (2023). Evaluation of patient satisfaction with the virtual clinic in Jazan City: Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 10(2): 84-89
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