Date of Conferral
9-3-2026
Date of Award
September 2026
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Management
Advisor
Bruce Requa
Abstract
Effective communication between general practitioners (GPs) and medical specialists is essential for reducing healthcare costs and improving continuity of care. Healthcare leaders are concerned that ineffective communication between GPs and specialists may contribute to delays in care, fragmented services, and inefficient use of healthcare resources. Grounded in relational coordination theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore the effective communication strategies used by six GPs in Saudi Arabia when communicating patient cases to medical specialists to reduce healthcare costs and improve the quality of patient care. The participants were six GPs in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using reflective thematic analysis. Five themes emerged from the analysis: (a) structured and complete information sharing, (b) adaptive communication methods, (c) relational coordination and professional respect, (d) system and organizational barriers, and (e) communication impact on patient care. A key recommendation was for healthcare leaders to implement standardized referral communication practices to improve information exchange, reduce communication-related delays, and strengthen continuity of care. The implications for positive social change include the potential for healthcare leaders to implement these practices to strengthen healthcare coordination and continuity of care, benefiting patients and communities through more timely, coordinated, and patient-centered healthcare.
Recommended Citation
Alharthi, Alshraefarana, "Strategies General Practitioners Use to Effectively Communicate Patient Cases to Medical Specialists in Saudi Arabia" (2026). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 20798.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/20798
