ADHERENCE OF PHYSICIANS PRACTICE TONATIONAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MOH) URGENT CARE GUIDELINE IN EASTERN REGION,SAUDI ARABIA

Introduction: In the new era of the Ministry of health transformation, urgent care units (UCCs) were established in primary care. This research evaluated the current practice at the urgent care unit in comparison to the MOH Guideline of Extended Hour Services.

Materials and Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study that included 293 physicians who worked in UCCs at Primary health care (PHC), Saudi Arabia (SA). The data were collected via a validated online questionnaire distributed to the physicians. Furthermore, UCCs were visited to assess the availability of suitable settings. Univariate and multivariate data analyses were done using the SPSS program.

Results: Less than a quarter (23.6%) of UCC physicians were aware of the presence of the National MOH Guideline of extended-hour services. Overall adherence as per physicians perception of the guideline was 48 (24.7%). Increased adherence to Ministry of Health policy as per guidelines by UCC physicians was associated with attending all training courses (OR = 33.72, 95% CI: 2.116-4.920) and awareness of the MOH manual of extended hours services (OR = 2.45, 95% CI: 0.345-1.435). Participants agree on the absence of a clear referral policy to an emergency department and outpatient clinics, 32.3% and 52.3% respectively. 

Conclusion: UCC physicians training and practices at PHCs did not adequately adhere to the Ministry of Health guidelines. More effort is needed to achieve better outcomes.