Factors Influencing the Utilisation of Public and Private Primary Health Care Services in Riyadh City

Objective: To determine the variables which predict the utilisation of public and private primary health care services, incorporating a number of individual and provider-related variables which are thought to influence the utilisation of these services. Methods: The study employed a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from patients attending both public PHC centres and private dispensaries (or outpatient clinics) in Riyadh city. The questionnaire was designed to collect data on a number of variables related both to health services users and providers. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to determine the significant variables which may influence the utilisation of these services. Results: The results show that a number of patient-related variables (income, health status, education, gender, the presence of health insurance and nationality) and provider-related variables (location of the health facility, waiting time, the availability of ancillary services, opening hours and the availability of specialised doctors) were statistically significant in identifying the variables which influence the utilisation of both public PHC centres and private outpatient clinics. Conclusion: The study highlights the significant factors which prompt patients to utilise private outpatient clinics despite the availability of free public PHC centres in Saudi Arabia. Understanding these factors by health policy makers is important in the provision and the utilisation of primary health care services in the Kingdom. The study recommends significant areas for future research. 4 Saad Abdullah Al-Ghanim