Background: Disability, whether congenital or acquired, poses significant challenges that affect individuals' physical, mental, psychological, and social functioning. This study aimed to examine the attitudes of healthcare providers in Hai'l City towards people with disabilities.
Methods: A cross-sectional design was used, involving 321 healthcare providers from the Hai'l region, employing the Scale of Attitudes towards Disabled Persons (SADP) for data collection. The data were collected through an online survey and analyzed using SPSS 26.
Results: The results indicated a generally positive attitude of healthcare providers towards people with disabilities, with mean scores exceeding 89 across various groups. Older providers (over 35 years old) exhibited the highest positivity rate (92.57), although differences in age, sex, educational level, years of experience, and professional role were not statistically significant. Master's degree holders had the highest average score (93.52), but the differences remained statistically insignificant.
Conclusion: The study concludes that while healthcare providers generally have positive attitudes towards people with disabilities, there is a critical need for comprehensive training programs to enhance the quality of care provided. Future research should extend to other regions and employ qualitative methods to gain deeper insights into healthcare providers' attitudes toward and experiences with people with disabilities.
Keywords: Saudi Arabia; attitudes; healthcare providers; people with disabilities.
© 2024 Saleh et al.