SALARY LEVELS OF SAUDI HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS

Abstract

Healthcare providers' (HCPs') care is crucial in enhancing the health and quality of life (QOL) of a population. Governments must understand the factors affecting healthcare workers' well-being if they are to build healthcare systems that will last. Developed nations have a crucial role to play in this area because healthcare provider performance can be greatly impacted by incorrectly allocating them to certain places. This study aims to evaluate the factors that impact the quality of life (QOL) of healthcare practitioners (HCPs) in Saudi Arabia. Its findings will be useful for workforce planning in 2021. This cross-sectional study used data collected from individuals in Saudi Arabia's urban and rural areas. All healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia are included in the study's population. The research used a probability-stratified random sampling method to enrol 380 medical professionals. A margin of error of 5% and a confidence level of 95% were necessary. Researchers in Saudi Arabia used a self-administered online questionnaire they created for the purpose of measuring healthcare workers' quality of life. Between June and October of 2021, data was collected from a randomly given survey. In order to analyse the data, the study used descriptive statistics such as percentages, means, medians, and standard deviations or interquartile ranges. We computed independent sample T-tests and chi-square tests with a significance level of p0.05 to determine if the groups were significantly different from each other. Results: 439 individuals were eligible for the final count since they completed the survey. In all, 207 women and 232 men made up the sample, with a mean age of 38.8 (SD= 10.173) years. While 68.6% were married, 28.0% were single, and 3.4% had experienced the loss of a spouse. The most common chronic ailment in the sample, with a frequency of 9.1%, was hypertension. Participating individuals were from a variety of urban and rural areas; 322, or 82.5%, were from the former, while 77, or 17.5%, were from the latter. When compared to their rural counterparts, urban healthcare practitioners placed a higher value on city infrastructure, internet availability and speed, and safety and security. However, rural practitioners reported a more favourable cost of living, and transportation quality was an issue for both groups. The study finds that people in both urban and rural areas are happy with their living situations, according to the criteria mentioned in the results section. The lack of statistical significance is demonstrated by this. The most important factor in deciding how happy you are with life is your health. There is an extremely high level of satisfaction with regard to all aspects of the city itself, including its infrastructure, environmental health, cost of living, internet accessibility, and sporting activities. Being content with one's appearance, having supporting connections, and feeling physically and emotionally well all contribute to a high proportion of pleasure when it comes to individual-related factors.

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