Practice of general pediatrics in Saudi Arabia: current status, challenges, and opportunities

BACKGROUND: In Saudi Arabia, general pediatrics serves children until they are 14 years old. It has contributed to improving the health of Saudi children. METHOD: This study adopted a qualitative method and recruited pediatric physicians to investigate status, successes, challenges, and opportunities. Later, data were analyzed using thematic analysis and hermeneutic phenomenology. RESULTS: This study attracted 13 pediatric physicians for interviews. All participants appreciated the role of general pediatricians, but the trainees had a negative attitude regarding the general pediatrics specialty. They all agreed on providing primary care for all children and recommended that their first visit should occur earlier. Shortage of pediatricians, lack of community pediatricians, busy clinics, limited Arabic resources, and poor communication skills are significant barriers to children receiving adequate care. The majority of pediatricians favor extending the pediatric age to 18 years old. One pediatrician stated, “Youths between ages 14–18 years are lost, adults and we refuse to care for them…” Additionally, pediatricians have concerns about managing developmental delays and behavioral issues. They believe the current pediatric residency provides many opportunities for a brighter future. CONCLUSION: General pediatrics is well established in Saudi Arabia. To continue thriving, we need to address some challenges that pediatricians face and attract more residency graduates. The current pediatric residency programs can provide opportunities to address deficit areas.