Use of Health App for Booking Primary Health Care appointments in Buraidah, Qassim Province

Abstract

The pattern of booking Primary Health Care appointments and use of Health apps for this purpose has not been evaluated in Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the proportion of patients who booked appointments before attending primary health care centers (PHCCs), the magnitude of Health App usage for appointment booking, reasons for not taking appointments, ease of use and the level of satisfaction with the Health App, and the association of demographic factors with Health App usage. A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey. The data were collected from the patients attending PHCCs in Buraidah City, Qassim province, Saudi Arabia. Overall, 282 respondents (164 males and 118 females) completed the survey. A total of 154 (54.6%) participants had booked their appointments on the day of the survey. Regarding Health App, 220 (78%) respondents had ‘ever used’ it for booking appointments at PHCCs. Reasons for not booking appointments included a lack of awareness about the app and ignorance of the importance of booking an appointment. Overall, participants expressed a high level of satisfaction with the Health Apps, particularly in terms of well-organized information and ease of learning to use the app. Factors associated with adherence to appointment booking included age (p<0.0001) and marital status(p<0.0001), with participants younger than 25 and older than 50 years being less adherent. Educational level (p<0.0001) and income (p<0.0001) also significantly influenced appointment booking. Similarly, factors associated with Health App usage included age(p<0.0001), marital status (p<0.0001), education level (p<0.0001), income (p<0.0001), and occupation (p<0.0001). The insights gathered from this study can inform healthcare providers and policymakers in enhancing the user experience of the Health App, ultimately leading to improved healthcare service delivery and patient outcomes.