Characteristics of Medical Services in the US versus Saudi Arabia - Statistics Project Example

1 Characteristics of Medical Services in the US versus Saudi Arabia Characteristics of Medical Services in the US versus Saudi Arabia Institutional Affiliation 2 Abstract The scholarships provided by the Saudi Arabian government have made it possible for many students to acquire higher education ion the U.S. the students enjoy the privilege of comparing the two countries. The survey that is outlined in this paper shows that many students perceive that the medical services in the U.S are better than those in Saudi Arabia. The survey was conducted in March 2015. Some 1299 students participated in filling out online questionnaires. After the exclusion of some, some 663 participants were selected for the study. The variables of interest were health complaints as well as the perception that the health care services in the U.S are better than those in KSA. Measures of tendency were presented, and independent t-tests were performed. The chi-square test was also used to find any relationships between the income and the clinic visits. The chi-square tests indicated no association and the t-test showed that the perception of many students favored the health care systems of the United States. (US Department of state) Further research was also carried out in order to find the probable reason for the students’ feedbacks. The analyzed pieces of literature did not spot any differences in technological advances. Rather, it found that the approaches of delivering the health services were different in terms of patient-doctor relationship. (M, G and M) Keywords: Healthcare in Saudi Arabia, Healthcare in United States, Perception, Differences 3 Background Every year the Saudi government provides academically and financially opportunities for Saudi students to study abroad, particularly in the United States. A report called “Open Doors” has indicated that Saudi Arabian students are surging in numbers in the United States. (A, A and A) The report also shows that Saudi Arabia is ranked fourth as an exporter of students to the United States (Iie.org). Being in another country does not eliminate the fact that one is going to get sick. Diseases are everywhere. However, healthcare services are not equally matched in all countries. Saudi students in the U.S have received health services from both countries. Therefore, they can tell the difference between the services in terms of cost and quality. 4 Objectives This investigation aims to study the demographic and medical-related characteristics of Saudi Students who studied overseas and specifically in the US. My goal is to measure if the mean number of annual visits to a medical clinic differs by perceiving US medical services are better than in Saudi Arabia (SA). I also want to determine if there is an association between student’s income and perceiving that the medical services in the US are better than Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, I endeavor to evaluate any association between student’s main health complaint and thinking US medical services are better than in SA. Finally, I will illustrate the students’ health complaints graphically. The graphs will give a good comparison of the differing views. (J) 5 Methods An online survey targeting Saudi students was sent from March 8th - March 18th, 2015 to several Facebook pages of Saudi college students’ club where a web link was sent to access the questionnaire. A total of 1,299 students click on the link, 370 of qualified Saudi students were excluded due to partial completion of the survey and 225 were disqualified due to they were not Saudi students. Thus, a total of 704 completed the 28 questions survey; however, only 663 of those participants were located in the US. Variables were selected according to the relevance of this study. Demographic variables gathered were age, sex, education level, marital status, and income. The categorical variables of interest are main health complaints, perceiving medical services in the US are better than in SA and thinking health insurance is a good option in Saudi Arabia. Measures of central tendency and dispersion were presented for continuous variables such as number of annual visits to a medical clinic, and number of times visited US medical clinic or hospital for an emergency condition. Assuming the data comes from simple random sample, two independent sample t test was performed to measure if the mean number of annual visits to a medical clinic differs by perceiving US medical services are better than in SA. Equality of variance test was performed. Additionally, Chi square was employed to assess association between student’s main health complaint and 1), perceiving the medical services in the US are better compared to SA 2) thinking health insurance in SA is a good option and 3) students’ income level. (Ling)The expected frequency count for each cell of the table was assessed and thus Fisher’s exact test was used as few cells count were less than 5. Statistical significance was assessed calculating p-values. 9.4 SAS statistical software was used to perform the analyses. 6 Results The average age of Saudi students was 27 years old (26.55 ± 4.54). 77.64% and 22.36% of these students studying oversees in the US were males and females, correspondingly. Around 50% had an educational level of college or postgraduate degree, 44.56% were married, and 44.11% earned income from $20,000 to $39,999. As far health care services, the mean number of annual visits to a medical clinic was 4 (4.40 ± 5.77) and to a medical clinic or hospital for an emergency condition was 3 (3.13 ± 8.10). The majority (98.04%) of the participants were insured by Aetna PPO health insurance. More than 80% think medical care services are better in US than in SA. Around 84% of Saudi students believe that health insurance in Saudi Arabia is a good option. The main health complaint that students had was medical (47.96%) followed by dental (29.65%) (Table 1). Folded F method statistics (Fooled F method p value $75,000 23 5 5 Medical services better in US n n P value Main health problem Yes No 0.7238 Dental 164 32 Medical 255 62 Physiotherapy 27 6 Ophthalmologist 97 18 Health insurance is a good option in SA n n P value Main health problem Yes No 0.5579 Dental 168 28 Medical 259 58 Physiotherapy 27 6 Ophthalmologist 99 16 7 Discussion The results of the study show that many students hold the perception that the health care services in the U.S are better than those in Saudi Arabia. It is, therefore, necessary to find out why the students cling to their belief. A review of several literatures brings out the differences in the healthcare systems in terms of service delivery, technology, and doctor-patient relationships. The U.S is viewed as an advanced country in terms of development and technology. Many people adore the country. The outlined statistics are giving a clear picture of the views of the Saudi Arabian students in the United States. The systems of health care in Saudi Arabia are developing exponentially. However, the United States has one of the best systems of health care in the globe. It is hard to mark out the country that is better than the other (American Bedu). The medical systems in the U.S and Saudi Arabia have many similarities. Almost all the diseases are handled in the same manner. Similar types of medicines are administered as a way of treatment. However, there are some differences too. For instance, there are differences in cultural practices in the countries. Female doctors and nurses in Saudi Arabia dress differently from those working in America. The modes of dressing might have a profound impact on the doctor-patient relationships. A patient may be free to converse with a doctor who exposes her whole face compared to a doctor who puts on a hijab. On the other hand, many people feel that the doctors and nurses in America are less compassionate than those in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, the culture allows people to have large families. When one gets sick, he/she is visited by many people at the hospital. The large number of visitors might become difficult to manage, and the delivery of healthcare could be jeopardized. For one to receive health care in the United States, he/ she must provide insurance verifications and pay some deposit money. However, this is not the case in KSA. Certainly, it is hard to tell which country is better than the other in terms of technology. The evident differences in the healthcare systems are the result of differences in culture. 8 Conclusions The mean number of Saudi students who think that the medical services in the U.S are better than those in Saudi Arabia is higher than those who think otherwise. The chi-square test has shown that there is no association between the income levels and the annual visits to the clinics. The results of the chi-square have a very high degree of truth. Am saying this because logical thinking dictates that the hospital is not a place for the rich, rather, it is a place for the sick. The final discovery was that there was no association between students’ medical health complaints with perceiving that U.S medical services are better than in Saudi Arabiaand with thinking the health insurance is a good in KSA. (R) More research from some articles has tried to explain the differences in opinion. Even though it is hard to tell which country offers the best healthcare services, it is evident that service delivery is different. The main differences occur in the style of delivery rather than the quality. Research has shown that culture is emphasized more in KSA than in the United States. On the other hand, the medical practitioners in KSA seem to be more friendly than those in the U.S. However, both countries have excellent service delivery. 9 References American Bedu,. Comparison Of Health Care Between USA And KSA. N.p., 2009. Web. 13 May 2015. Iie.org,. Open Doors 2014 Report. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 May 2015. A, Zohair, Waleed A and abdulmohsen A. "Health Care Services In SaudI Arabia: Past Present Future." Journal of Family and Community Medicine (2001). Al-Yoiusuf M, Akerele TM,AL-Mazrou YY. Organization of the SAUDI Health System."(2002) J, Santosj. "Population Research." Journal on population research (2013). Ling, Fall. http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~clight/chisquared.htm. 2008. R, David. http://saudiarabia.angloinfo.com/healthcare/health-system/medical-insurance/. 2015. A, Zohair, Waleed A and abdulmohsen A. "Health Care Services In SaudI Arabia: Past Present Future." Journal of Family and Community Medicine (2001). J, Santosj. "Population Research." Journal on population research (2013). Ling, Fall. http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~clight/chisquared.htm. 2008. M, Almalki, Fitzgerald G and Clark M. "Health Care System in Saudi Arabia:An Overview." Health Care System in Saudi Arabia:An Overview (2011). R, David. http://saudiarabia.angloinfo.com/healthcare/health-system/medical-insurance/. 2015. US Department of state. http://www.state.gov/m/med/. 2015. Read More