Background: This paper explores elective surgery patients' and family members' needs during the perioperative period, in a specialized hospital in Saudi Arabia. Needs are influenced by context and could differ from a setting to another. Methods: Two questionnaires, one for the patient group and the other for the family member group, were adopted from a previous similar study. The participants were asked to rate the importance of each need and how much it was satisfied. Data were collected in 5 weeks. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the average rate and standard deviation of each item. Results: Patients highly rated the need for adequate symptom management in the recovery area. Family members highly rated the importance of being informed if the surgical procedure is taking more time than expected and communicating with the surgeon after the procedure. Conclusion: Systematically involving the family member in the perioperative care of the patient is advantageous. However, interventions and extent of involvement of the family member to the care of the patient would have to be adapted according to the cultural context.

Introduction: There have been initial efforts to link continuing medical education (CME), quality improvement (QI), and patient safety in North America. However, limited empirical research has been performed to characterize the relationship and integration between CME and QI/patient safety in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). To explore health care leaders' perceptions and experiences of collaboration between the CME department (CME-D) and the quality management administration (QMA), we conducted an exploratory qualitative study at a large governmental health care center – King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC) in Makkah, KSA. Methods: The health care managers at KAMC were asked to identify their perception on the state of collaboration between the CME-D and QMA. Data collection, in the form of one-to-one semistructured interviews, was directed by an interview guide. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the participants' perspectives were analyzed thematically using a theoretical framework. Results: Fifteen participants were recruited: one top manager of the CME-D, three top managers from the QMA, seven representatives from the medical board, and four representatives from the executive board. Key findings of the interviews were the presence of some shared ad hoc goals between the CME-D and QMA. However, insufficiency of other collaborative factors reflected a “potential collaboration” (level 1) based on D'Amour's model of collaboration. Discussion: This is the first qualitative study to explore the perceptions and experiences of CME and QI health care managers on their collaboration at one of the largest health centers in the KSA. Further research should investigate the feasibility of implementing interventions to intensify collaboration between CME and QI.