Assessing Saudi Patients’ Trust and Satisfaction in Virtual Clinic Services: A Comparative study

Abstract

Assessing Saudi Patient’s Trust and Satisfaction in Virtual Clinic Services: A Comparative study This study investigates virtual healthcare in Saudi Arabia, focusing on patient satisfaction, trust in physicians, and perceptions of VCs compared to in-person clinics. Conducted in Ministry of Health, National Guard, Security Forces, Specialized, University Teaching, and Private Hospitals, it used a comparative cross-sectional design for VC and in-person clinic users, alongside a follow-up study for VC users. The study population included adult Saudi patients with chronic diseases, excluding non-Saudis and those with deafness, muteness, or mental illness and participants needed internet access. The sample size, calculated using Epi-Info 7 based on a 79.4% satisfaction rate from a prior study (Yao et al., 2023), was set at 270 patients (135 VC users, 135 in-person users) with a 5% margin of error and 95% confidence level. Two provinces, Al Qassim and Hai’l, were randomly selected, with 67/68 participants per group in each. VC users were recruited via phone using hospital records, completing an online survey (sent via email/SMS/social media) at baseline and after three months. In-person users were recruited through face-to-face interviews at outpatient clinics, approaching every other registered patient. Data collection tools included a structured questionnaire on demographics, clinic type, and utilization reasons, the Trust in Physician Scale (TiPS) to measure trust (Anderson & Dedrick, 1990), a perception questionnaire adapted from a U.S. study (Alliance for Connected Care, 2020), and a satisfaction questionnaire for VC users (Alwabili et al., 2021). TiPS scores ranged from 11 to 55, with higher scores indicating greater trust. Satisfaction was assessed across technical, quality, administrative, and general domains, with high satisfaction defined as 90% of the total score.