Factors Influencing Patient Preferences for Home Healthcare versus Traditional Hospital Settings in the UAE: A Quantitative Analysis of Convenience, Comfort, and Perceived Quality of Care.

2026-09-18T01:39:38+00:00

Abstract

Background: The healthcare sector is increasingly shifting toward home healthcare (HHC) to alleviate hospital congestion. In the UAE, understanding patient preferences is vital to shaping effective service delivery.

Aims: To investigate factors influencing preferences between HHC and traditional hospital care, focusing on convenience, comfort, and perceived quality.

Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional online survey collected data from 152 adults in the UAE using snowball sampling. Descriptive statistics, Chi-Square, and Fisher’s Exact tests evaluated associations between variables and setting preferences.

Results: Although 44% of participants had utilized HHC, 56.6% preferred traditional settings. Hospital care was significantly associated with higher perceived cost-effectiveness (p = 0.001), care personalization (p = 0.001), and provider communication (p = 0.001). Conversely, HHC was significantly preferred for comfort (p = 0.001) and continuity of care (p = 0.002), with 29.8% of HHC users prioritizing seeing the same provider versus 13.9% in hospital settings.

Conclusions: HHC is valued for comfort and caregiver continuity but remains viewed as complementary to traditional care in the UAE. Expanding HHC adoption requires addressing concerns regarding cost, insurance coverage, and specialized communication, leading to integrated care models that balance acute clinical needs with long-term recovery.

Keywords: Home Healthcare, Patient Preferences, Quality, Health Services Accessibility, Healthcare Policy, Continuity of Care.

Organizational and Environmental Determinants of OHS Implementation in a Specialized Hospital: A PLS-SEM Study

2026-09-17T08:58:52+00:00

PURPOSE:
To examine the organizational, individual, and environmental determinants of occupational health and safety (OHS) implementation and to assess the mediating role of safety culture in a specialized hospital in Indonesia.

METHODOLOGY:
This cross-sectional study involved 268 hospital staff at Dr. Drs. M. Hatta Brain Hospital, Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Participants were selected through proportional stratified random sampling. Data were collected between January and May 2026 using a 79-item structured questionnaire. The relationships among the study variables were examined using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4.0, with 5,000 bootstrap resamples.

FINDINGS:
Work environment showed the strongest direct association with OHS implementation (β=0.443, t=7.073, p<0.001), followed by knowledge (β=0.166, t=3.600, p<0.001) and safety culture (β=0.111, t=2.402, p=0.016). Attitude, management commitment, and supervision and leadership were not significantly associated with OHS implementation directly. Management commitment was strongly associated with safety culture (β=0.642, t=8.951, p<0.001), while supervision and leadership showed a significant association (β=0.177, t=1.984, p=0.047). Significant indirect associations with OHS implementation through safety culture were observed for management commitment (β=0.071, p=0.019) and supervision and leadership (β=0.019, p=0.047). The model explained 30.1% of the variance in OHS implementation and 63.0% in safety culture.

PRATICAL IMPLICATIONS:

Improving hospital OHS implementation requires attention to workplace conditions, OHS knowledge, and safety culture. Management commitment and supportive leadership may strengthen implementation by fostering a safety-oriented organisational culture.

Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management

Factors Influencing Patient Preferences for Home Healthcare versus Traditional Hospital Settings in the UAE: A Quantitative Analysis of Convenience, Comfort, and Perceived Quality of Care.

Organizational and Environmental Determinants of OHS Implementation in a Specialized Hospital: A PLS-SEM Study