Attitudes of Healthcare professionals' regarding medical laboratory technology in Saudi Arabia 2024

Abstract

Background: Medical lab technology (MLT) plays a crucial role in disease diagnosis, enabling healthcare professionals to identify and understand the underlying causes of various medical conditions with unparalleled accuracy. Without the tests conducted in medical labs, modern medicine could not function. Medical laboratory technology is essential to the health care system in this day and age of quickly changing medical research and application. Despite this, certain medical professionals have a tendency to place a lower value on their profession, which may lead to a decrease in the mobilization of health teams and ultimately impact patient care.
The study aimed: To assess the attitude of healthcare professionals (HCPs) towards medical laboratory technology.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among HCPs working in Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from January to April 2024. A standardized questionnaire that was self-administered was utilized to collect information on the respondents' socio-demographic traits and attitudes on medical laboratory technologies. Using a 3-5 point Likert scale, participants were asked to rank their responses according to significance.
Results: An overall response rate of 80% was obtained from the 108 completed and returned surveys out of the 135 that were delivered. According to the survey, seventy-five percent of the participants had a positive opinion of medical laboratory technology. In particular, 85.7, 81.3, and 72% of doctors, health officers, and nurses, respectively, showed a positive attitude. Furthermore, according to 68.5% of participants, the role that laboratories play in improving patient care is "very important." However, 11.1% of the respondents expressed some undesirable habits and had a negative attitude.
Conclusion: Most study participants had positive attitudes regarding medical laboratory technologies; the negative reactions could have an impact on patient care quality and teamwork. The quality of patient care may be improved