ArticleCureus2022
Regional Variation in the Neurosurgical Workforce in Saudi Arabia.
Article in Cureus, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Predictors of Considering a Vascular Surgery Career Among Medical Students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Advances in medical education and practice · 2026Article
- Food choice determinants and perceptions of healthy eating and food safety among online food delivery application users in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- The prevalence of work-related burnout among neurosurgeons in Saudi Arabia: A multicenter cross-sectional study.Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) · 2025Observational
- Factors Affecting the Choice of Neurosurgery as a Future Career: A Cross-Sectional Study.Cureus · 2024Article
- Comparative Analysis and Spatial Distribution of the Primary Health Care Centers and Health Manpower Across Saudi Arabia Using Shapiro-Wilk Test.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo highlight the disparity in the regional distribution of neurosurgical workforce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and to correlate the provision of neurosurgeons across the regions with several parameters.
methodsThe 13 administrative emirates of provinces in KSA were grouped into five geographical regions (central, western, eastern, southern, and northern). The density of neurosurgeons was calculated for each region. The distribution of neurosurgeons across the regions was correlated with several parameters using Pearson coefficient test.
resultsThis study examined 238 neurosurgeons working in 85 neurosurgical centers in KSA. The regional median (range) density of neurosurgeons was 7.1 (3.1-10.2) per million population and 9.3 (2.3-23.3) per thousand square kilometer area. The regional provision of neurosurgeons correlated significantly with the distribution of KSA-national (p=0.031), KSA-certified (p=0.0004), Government Hospitals (GHs) (p=0.0012), and private hospitals (PHs) (p=0.0359) funded neurosurgeons. The regional allocation of neurosurgeons also correlated positively with the distribution of the total neurosurgical centers (p=0.048), the PHs centers (p=0.0057) but not the GHs centers (p=0.3296). Furthermore, a mismatch was observed between the regional distribution of the neurosurgical workforce and the provision of neurosurgeons according to their GHs' sub-divisions, regional population, and area.
conclusionsThe regional distribution of neurosurgeons in KSA was uneven. The density of neurosurgeons was the lowest in the southern and northern regions. There was disparity in the number of neurosurgeons employed by the various GHs' sub-divisions and in the allocation of GHs' neurosurgical centers across the regions. Easy access to quality neurosurgical care is imperative. Policy makers should take this into consideration in the future planning of regional neurosurgical services in KSA.
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