Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/10
Browse
4 results
Search Results
Item Restricted Life journey with a chronic illness: Exploring the lived experience of older chronic illness patients while interacting with the primary health care services in Ha'il City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(University of Tasmania, 2025) Albarrak, Talal; Crisp, Elaine; Andrews, Sharon; Foran, PaulaAccording to the World Health Organization, improvement in life expectancy, which is attributed to advancements made in the health sector in the 20th century, directly impacts public health and economic systems. Technological advancement in the health sector has enabled older people to perform many activities in their daily lives. However, this demographic shift has also posed some problems, such as the rising prevalence of chronic diseases and the increased costs of healthcare for families and governments. The older population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is mainly affected by chronic diseases. It burdens the healthcare system, especially in the Primary Health Care Centres (PHCCs). PHCCs are the first point of care for these patients and attend to more than 15 million citizens every year in KSA. Although primary, secondary, tertiary, and referral healthcare services are available for the public in KSA, PHCCs still need help with patient satisfaction due to the lack of proper infrastructure and integrated services. This qualitative research employs Max van Manen's hermeneutical phenomenological framework to understand the lived experiences of older people with chronic illness as they interact with PHCCs for their regular health care relating to their illness. The research design is iterative, allowing for dynamic interaction between the researcher and data through six sequential yet iterative steps: engaging with the phenomenon, collecting data through investigating life experiences, reflecting on essential themes, describing the phenomenon through writing and rewriting, maintaining a strong relation to the phenomenon, and balancing the study context. Data was collected via semi-structured telephone interviews, adapted for COVID-19 safety protocols, with older people selected from accessible and representative PHCCs. Ten participants were chosen using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure relevance and depth. The research blends the strengths of descriptive and interpretative phenomenology, rooted in Edmund Husserl's and Martin Heidegger's philosophical traditions, which emphasise the detailed description and interpretation of human experiences and meanings, and recognise these experiences as situated within specific historical and cultural contexts. The analysis involved identifying and interpreting key themes from the participants' stories and comparing and contrasting these across different participant narratives to reveal patterns and variations. The researcher engaged in a reflective process, linking the findings to existing literature and theoretical frameworks to deepen the understanding of the participant's lived experiences. Critical reflexivity was emphasised to ensure researcher biases did not influence the study's findings. Four major themes emerged: the impact of knowing about the illness; the supportive context provided by family, friends, institutions, and faith; the adaptation to a new life with a chronic disease and multiple care roles; and perceptions of care received through primary health care centres. The research findings highlighted the interplay between emotional, cognitive, and social elements of the patients’ lived experience, emphasising the significant role of the participants' emotional responses in influencing coping mechanisms and overall quality of life. The research also explored the crucial role of family/friends in disease management, and the difficulties of financial issues. The findings also highlighted the need for a more comprehensive and patient-centred approach to healthcare in KSA, which includes considering the experiences and barriers faced by older adults with chronic diseases. These findings included identifying the treatment goals, the use of religion in the process of coping, especially among Muslim adults, and the significance of education in helping patients manage their treatment and psychological care. The following are the recommendations that can be made from the research for enhancing services in the PHCCs across SaudiArabia, focusing on early identification and management of chronic diseases. The research supports screening programs for high-risk groups, frequent follow-up, and adherence to the best practices, including the involvement of specialist physicians. A particular emphasis is placed on the patient's awareness and counselling to overcome the myths associated with chronic diseases and increase patient participation in decision-making. The study recommends forming peer support groups to support chronic disease management or strengthening community networks. The research also advocates for public health campaigns that should address all population groups, focus on chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus, to overcome cultural and societal misconceptions. To meet mental health needs, it is essential to incorporate mental health care into chronic disease management and educate healthcare workers on mental health. Other recommendations that are likely to improve the quality of healthcare and patient satisfaction significantly, include improving the interpersonal skills of PHCC staff, embracing modern technology, and ensuring that vulnerable populations are financially supported6 0Item Restricted Life journey with a chronic illness: Exploring the lived experience of older chronic illness patients while interacting with the primary health care services in Ha'il City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(University of Tasmania, 2024-08) Albarrak, Talal; Paula, Foran; Elaine, Crisp; Sharon, AndrewsAccording to the World Health Organization, improvement in life expectancy, which is attributed to advancements made in the health sector in the 20th century, directly impacts public health and economic systems. Technological advancement in the health sector has enabled older people to perform many activities in their daily lives. However, this demographic shift has also posed some problems, such as the rising prevalence of chronic diseases and the increased costs of healthcare for families and governments. The older population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is mainly affected by chronic diseases. It burdens the healthcare system, especially in the Primary Health Care Centres (PHCCs). PHCCs are the first point of care for these patients and attend to more than 15 million citizens every year in KSA. Although primary, secondary, tertiary, and referral healthcare services are available for the public in KSA, PHCCs still need help with patient satisfaction due to the lack of proper infrastructure and integrated services. This qualitative research employs Max van Manen's hermeneutical phenomenological framework to understand the lived experiences of older people with chronic illness as they interact with PHCCs for their regular health care relating to their illness. The research design is iterative, allowing for dynamic interaction between the researcher and data through six sequential yet iterative steps: engaging with the phenomenon, collecting data through investigating life experiences, reflecting on essential themes, describing the phenomenon through writing and rewriting, maintaining a strong relation to the phenomenon, and balancing the study context. Data was collected via semi-structured telephone interviews, adapted for COVID-19 safety protocols, with older people selected from accessible and representative PHCCs. Ten participants were chosen using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure relevance and depth. The research blends the strengths of descriptive and interpretative phenomenology, rooted in Edmund Husserl's and Martin Heidegger's philosophical traditions, which emphasise the detailed description and interpretation of human experiences and meanings, and recognise these experiences as situated within specific historical and cultural contexts. The analysis involved identifying and interpreting key themes from the participants' stories and comparing and contrasting these across different participant narratives to reveal patterns and variations. The researcher engaged in a reflective process, linking the findings to existing literature and theoretical frameworks to deepen the understanding of the participant's lived experiences. Critical reflexivity was emphasised to ensure researcher biases did not influence the study's findings. Four major themes emerged: the impact of knowing about the illness; the supportive context provided by family, friends, institutions, and faith; the adaptation to a new life with a chronic disease and multiple care roles; and perceptions of care received through primary health care centres. The research findings highlighted the interplay between emotional, cognitive, and social elements of the patients’ lived experience, emphasising the significant role of the participants' emotional responses in influencing coping mechanisms and overall quality of life. The research also explored the crucial role of family/friends in disease management, and the difficulties of financial issues. The findings also highlighted the need for a more comprehensive and patient-centred approach to healthcare in KSA, which includes considering the experiences and barriers faced by older adults with chronic diseases. These findings included identifying the treatment goals, the use of religion in the process of coping, especially among Muslim adults, and the significance of education in helping patients manage their treatment and psychological care. The following are the recommendations that can be made from the research for enhancing services in the PHCCs across SaudiArabia, focusing on early identification and management of chronic diseases. The research supports screening programs for high-risk groups, frequent follow-up, and adherence to the best practices, including the involvement of specialist physicians. A particular emphasis is placed on the patient's awareness and counselling to overcome the myths associated with chronic diseases and increase patient participation in decision-making. The study recommends forming peer support groups to support chronic disease management or strengthening community networks. The research also advocates for public health campaigns that should address all population groups, focus on chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus, to overcome cultural and societal misconceptions. To meet mental health needs, it is essential to incorporate mental health care into chronic disease management and educate healthcare workers on mental health. Other recommendations that are likely to improve the quality of healthcare and patient satisfaction significantly, include improving the interpersonal skills of PHCC staff, embracing modern technology, and ensuring that vulnerable populations are financially supported.62 0Item Restricted Discrimination and Multimorbidity among older adults(King's College London, 2024-08) ALFAKHRI, KHALED; Sabbah, WaelAim: This study aims to investigate the relationship between racial discrimination and multimorbidity among American older adults, and whether discrimination mediates the relationship between socioeconomic factors and health outcomes. Methods: Participants in this study who were 65 years of age or older were drawn from the 2022 Behavioural Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) database. This study included 44,029 participants. Multimorbidity was defined as the presence of two or more chronic conditions, including stroke, heart attack, angina, cancer, asthma, arthritis, depression, chronic pulmonary disease, diabetes, and kidney disease. Racial discrimination was measured through self-reported experiences of being treated differently based on race. Socioeconomic factors (income and education level) and behavioural factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity) were considered. Negative binomial regression models were used to examine the association between racial discrimination and multimorbidity, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: The analysis revealed a significant association between experience of racial discrimination and multimorbidity (Rate Ratio [RR] = 1.13; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.05- 1.21). Socioeconomic factors such as lower income and education levels were also significantly associated with higher multimorbidity risk, however no evidence of discrimination experience partially mediating the association. Conclusion: Understanding the impact of racial discrimination on multimorbidity highlights the importance of addressing social determinants of health. This study underscores the need for targeted interventions to mitigate health inequalities among older adults, particularly those facing racial discrimination.30 0Item Restricted Motivating and Supporting Medication Adherence Behaviour for Chronic Conditions: Persuasive design of a mHealth app.(University of Wollongong, 2024-03) Altuwayrib, Saleh Abdulqader; Win, Khin Than; Freeman, MarkArthritis requires long-term treatment and lifestyle management to manage symptoms and prevent disease progression. Medication adherence behaviour is essential for managing arthritis. However, the adherence rates for arthritis patients are often low due to factors like lack of motivation, forgetfulness, and limited knowledge about the condition. Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) emerged as a promising solution to support patient adherence by providing users with personalised, accessible, and interactive features that promoted medication management. Educational features that enable users to access health information can improve user awareness about the condition, reminder features can assist users from forgetting to take medication and motivational features like rewards and social support can be tailored to motivate and engage users. This thesis focuses on the motivational design of mHealth apps to support medication adherence behaviour for chronic arthritis conditions. The thesis addresses the gaps in existing mHealth apps for arthritis and medication adherence, which often fail to involve patients in the design process or address the specific barriers to adherence they encounter. The research question of this study is: What are the key design features of a motivational mobile health app that can promote medication adherence among chronic arthritis patients in Saudi Arabia? The thesis has several objectives to answer this research question, which include exploring the arthritis patients' needs, designing a mHealth app prototype, and evaluating the usability of the mHealth app among Saudi arthritis patients. This research adopts qualitative research methods, starting with a scoping review of medication adherence apps for different chronic health conditions, interviews with health care providers (HCPs), and online focus group discussions with chronic arthritis patients across Saudi Arabia. Interpretivism is used to understand adherence behaviour barriers, facilitators, and user needs and preferences to ensure the user-centric design process. Additionally, the research embraces pragmatism in the design and evaluation process through 3 design cycles that follow the six-design science research methodology (DSRM) steps. The selection of user requirements considers the theoretical framework adopted combining three components of the IMB model: information, motivation, and behavioural skills. Motivation aspects consider the intrinsic motivation that can be satisfied according to Self Determination Theory. The principles of persuasive design are considered to ensure that the app motivates users and supports health behaviour change. The user research, design, and evaluation resulted in an interactive mHealth app prototype tailored to the needs and preferences of Saudi arthritis patients. The evaluation steps in each cycle identified usability problems, and areas for improvements, confirmed user acceptance, and validated the features and content with HCPs. Therefore, user-evaluation in the final cycle showed high user satisfaction among arthritis patients in Saudi Arabia. The research highlights the potential of mHealth apps to engage users and support adherence behaviour by satisfying their needs, simplifying medication management, empowering users to monitor their arthritis, engaging users with the local arthritis community, and enabling users to access credible content and supportive services that aim to support patient adherence. Future work will focus on the app’s development, evaluate the app’s effectiveness, and explore scalability options to make the app accessible to a broader population of Arabic arthritis patients.36 0