Priorities for primary health care research in Qassim, central Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE: To determine the major research priorities in the field of Primary Health Care (PHC) in Qassim, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional survey including academicians, researchers, and PHC program managers in Qassim. A self-administered questionnaire was used as the survey instrument. A scale of 1-5 was given for prioritizing the health issues (5=highest priority; 1=lowest priority). A list of PHC research topics including prevalent health issues addressed by PHC programs was provided to the respondents. Responses were collected from April 2012 to June 2012, and the data was analyzed.

RESULTS: A total of 101 eligible participants were invited to participate in the survey; out of these 85 (84.2%) responded. Diabetes mellitus (4.82+/-0.44) was the top priority, followed by hypertension (4.67+/-0.54), and bronchial asthma (4.35+/-0.79). Other priority areas included child health, maternal health, and quality of care. Leishmaniasis and foodborne illness were the lowest priorities.

CONCLUSION: This study identified the priority areas that need to be focused on for PHC research in Qassim. The survey lays a foundation upon which we can build future research.