Diabetic Patients' Experiences in Primary Healthcare Centers in the Al-Ahsa Region, 2025

Background As part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 healthcare transformation, assessing patient experience has become essential to improving the quality of care, particularly in managing chronic diseases such as diabetes. Despite increasing global interest, few studies have explored patient experiences in primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in the Al-Ahsa region. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the experience of diabetic patients attending PHCs in Al-Ahsa, focusing on communication, accessibility, coordination of care, and clinical support services. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March 2025 across 66 PHCs in Al-Ahsa. A total of 392 patients with diabetes were selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected via validated telephone interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and linear regression. Results The overall patient experience score was rated "excellent" (mean = 2.7/3.0). Domains, such as respect for privacy, consultation time, and nurse attentiveness, had the highest scores. Male sex, higher educational attainment, and routine follow-up with a care team were significantly associated with higher experience scores (p < 0.05). Patients with type 2 diabetes and uncontrolled diabetes also reported a better experience. Regression analysis confirmed that educational level was a significant predictor of experience (B = 0.030-0.032, p = 0.001). Conclusion The findings demonstrate excellent experiences among diabetic patients in Al-Ahsa PHCs, highlighting the importance of education, health literacy, and continuity of care in enhancing patient-centered outcomes. Tailored interventions that focus on demographic subgroups may further improve patient engagement and service quality.