Listening to the Patient's Voice: A Quantitative Study on Patient-Centredness in Diabetes Care in Palestinian Public Primary Care Services

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Despite the growing burden of type 2 diabetes in Palestine and the central role of patient-centred care (PCC) in high-quality primary healthcare, evidence on PCC from the perspective of people with diabetes remains limited. This study aimed to assess patient-centredness in governmental primary healthcare centres in the West Bank from the perspective of adults with diabetes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was implemented in three primary healthcare directorates covering north, south, and central West Bank (WB). The perspectives of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) on patient-centredness were investigated using an Arabic-translated version of the PPPC-R questionnaire. A total of 450 eligible patients were approached using non-probability convenience and quota sampling across the three directorates between August and September 2025. We used R (version 4.5.1) for the analysis. Results: A total of 417 patients completed the questionnaire (response rate 91%). Participants were (50.4%) women and (49.6%) men, with a mean age of 54.6 years (SD = 12.9). Participants reported moderate overall PCC perceptions (M = 2.82, SD = 0.50), with the highest mean scores for Enhancing the Clinician–Patient Relationship (M = 2.90, SD = 0.52), followed by Understanding the Whole Person (M = 2.77, SD = 0.56) and Finding Common Ground (M = 2.71, SD = 0.71). After adjustment for sociodemographic variables in multivariable analysis HC3-robust regression models, no predictor remained independently significant, and the models explained only a modest share of variance (R2 ≈ 0.03–0.06). Conclusion: Perceived patient-centredness of diabetes care in governmental PHC clinics in the West Bank was moderate and varied by geographic and contextual factors. Findings suggest a need for targeted quality improvement initiatives to strengthen PCC in diabetes services and to expand the research to other governorates to obtain a clearer picture of the regional disparities within the Palestinian PHC system.