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PUBLIC AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION ABOUT THE ROLE OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS IN SAUDI ARABIA: A CROSSSECTIONAL STUDY

Abdullah Nasser AlBarrak1 , Abdullah Ahmed Aloraini1 , Marwah Khaled Altawyan2 , Reem Hulayyil Alanazi2 , Abdulelah Saleh Bin Shihah3

Objectives: To study the perception about the role of family physicians (FPs) among general population of Saudi Arabia. Method: An online survey was conducted using a convenience sample of 1272 participants aged 18 years and above from the five main regions of Saudi Arabia, namely central, western, northern, eastern, and southern areas. A link to the survey was sent to the respondents through social media applications. SPSS was used for data management. Results: A total of 1272 valid responses were analyzed, of which 54.6% were females and 45.4% were males. The median age of respondents was 32 years (rang 18 to 75 years). The vast majority (88.6%) did not have a regular FPs. The majority were aware of the principles (80.7%) and the essential role of family medicine (74.4%), and health conditions that FPs can and cannot manage. The majority (77.6%) agreed on the value of involving FPs in their care, the priority of FPs in the action of healthseeking (60.8%), and the sufficiency of FPs’ expertise (55.9%). However, only 29.9% had a positive experience with FPs. In addition, a significant proportion (60.2%) preferred to firstly seek health care from specialists from other specialties. Conclusions: We found that participants were fairly aware of the basic role of family medicine and perceived involving FPs as important to the healthcare system. However, public programs are recommended to highlight the role of family medicine to fill gaps in communication between care seekers and providers and to improve physician-patient relationship which may enhance the overall satisfaction with healthcare system. Key words: family medicin; family practice; FPs; Saudi arabia, awareness.

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