Investigating the Effect of Healthcare Management Practices on Patient Satisfaction in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study Protocol

This paper presents a comprehensive study protocol for investigating the effect of healthcare management practices on patient satisfaction in Saudi Arabia, examining the mediating roles of staff training and service quality. The study employs a quantitative cross-sectional design at King Salman Medical City (KSMC), Madinah. Two participant groups will be recruited: healthcare professionals (n=316) through simple random sampling and patients (n=150) through convenience sampling. Data collection utilizes validated instruments including Healthcare Management Practices scale, Staff Training effectiveness measure, HEALTHQUAL for service quality, and PSQ-18 for patient satisfaction. Structural equation modeling using SmartPLS will test seven hypotheses examining direct and mediated relationships. This protocol provides methodological foundations for empirical investigation aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 healthcare transformation objectives, offering replicable procedures for studying managementsatisfaction relationships in healthcare contexts.