Abstract
Objectives: The study aims to determine patients' preference levels and the factors that influence their choice between public and private hospitals in the Riyadh district, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This study used a quantitative observational cross-sectional study and a convenience sample of 384 Saudi citizens (31.5% male, 68.5% female) aged 18-65 years who live in Riyadh and were treated in one of its public or private hospitals in Riyadh. The respondents completed an electronic questionnaire (254 respondents) or a hardcopy questionnaire (130 respondents) distributed to visitors of the King Khalid University Hospital. Most preferred to be treated at public hospitals, and women's choice of a public or private hospital was explored and measured by the questionnaire by considering factors including their preference for privacy.
Results: Public hospitals were preferred by 50.30% or participating Saudi patients, and 49.70% preferred private hospitals. Private hospitals were preferred by 58.30% of participating females for reasons of privacy, and 41.70% preferred public hospitals. The most important factors when selecting a hospital were the quality of medical care, the flexibility of appointments, and cost of treatment, in that order.
Conclusion: The preference between public and private hospitals was almost equal with no significant difference.