Development and Validation of a Provider-Reported Instrument to Assess Chronic Healthcare Services in Saudi Arabia

Background: Chronic diseases place a growing burden on healthcare systems globally, requiring coordinated, high-quality care, particularly in countries undergoing rapid reform. In Saudi Arabia, the ongoing health sector reforms highlight the urgent need to monitor and enhance chronic healthcare services at multiple system levels. However, no context-specific instrument currently exists to assess provider perspectives on chronic healthcare within the Saudi health system. This study aims to develop and validate a simplified, contextually relevant instrument to assess healthcare providers’ perceptions of chronic healthcare services in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This methodological study was conducted in 2025. The instrument was developed through literature review, expert consultation via a modified Delphi process, and psychometric evaluation. Data were collected from 254 healthcare providers across most regions of Saudi Arabia. Validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and reliability was assessed via Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency. All analyses were performed using SPSS version 18. Results: The final instrument consisted of 34 items across seven dimensions: health system organization, community resource linkages, self-management support, decision support system, delivery system design, clinical information system, and workforce awareness of national transformation goals. The KMO and Cronbach’s alpha index values were 0.91 and 0.95, indicating acceptable reliability and validity. The developed dimensions explained about 63.5% of the total variance. Conclusion: This validated, context-specific instrument enables systematic assessment of provider perspectives on chronic healthcare services in Saudi Arabia. The inclusion of workforce awareness offers a novel dimension for evaluating alignment with national reform objectives. The tool is suitable for research, monitoring, and strategic planning, with potential adaptation to other settings following cross-cultural validation. Researchers are encouraged to test further and refine the tool to enhance its applicability as a standard measure for chronic care assessment. Key words: Chronic care; Instrument validation; Provider perception; Health system transformation; Saudi Arabia; Workforce awareness.