title: Factors influencing patient choice of hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: This study examined factors considered important in choosing a hospital. The sample consisted of 303 respondents selected from five randomly selected primary health care centres. The percentages of males, highly educated, high-income level, elder and private sector employees was higher in those choosing private sector hospitals, while marital status did not relate to type of hospital. The principal component analysis identified six factors accounting for 64% of the total variance. The most important component was 'medical services' accounting for 28% of the total variance. Stepwise discriminant analysis revealed that the main factors associated with choosing a hospital were medical services, accessibility, age, sex and education. Little importance was given to income and occupation. Future recommendations outline the need for consumers' perceptions, attitudes, suggestions and concerns to be taken into consideration when marketing the services to be provided.
authors.affiliation: College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, PO Box 1029, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: al-Doghaither
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Abdelrhman
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Saeed
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Magzoub
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D015285:Hospital-Patient Relations; D016304:Hospitals, Private / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors