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The last few years have seen a stronger emphasis on patient-centred care within the international healthcare setting. Patient-centred care is clearly perceived to be important to optimise the satisfaction and well-being of patients. The purpose of this paper is to review current patient-centred practices for outpatients in both private clinics and public hospitals in Dubai. Such a comparison contributes to the identification of best management practices as a means of enhancing healthcare delivery.

This study is based on an independent survey consisting of self-administered questionnaires, in which patients were asked to rate several aspects of private clinics or government hospitals in Dubai. The questionnaire used has been drawn from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Clinician and Group Survey, Version 3.0. Responses from 420 patients form a data set that is analysed quantitatively.

In total, 420 respondents took part in this survey. The results of the survey show that there is a considerable difference between the expectation levels of patients from government hospitals and patients from private clinics. Patients from government hospitals consistently show that time is a critical aspect of the service received, with 68 per cent of the respondents reporting this issue. Additionally, poor customer care, as reported by 14 per cent of the respondents, is also a critical issue. Timely service and appointments are among the main factors that contribute to patient satisfaction. Patients in private clinics, instead, particularly value clear explanations from doctors and nurses – this is corroborated by the fact that 11 per cent of the respondents reported appreciation of this type of service.

This paper draws attention to a patient-centric perspective of healthcare, and highlights the importance of educating patients through clear explanations.

Little evidence exists on the standards of healthcare in Dubai. The authors explore this area and present direct evidence on quality standard implementation, identify implementation shortcomings and make recommendations for future research and practice.

This study aims to identify the main factors that drive the differences in the levels of forward-looking information disclosure (FLID) across four countries. This study goes beyond the firm-specific characteristics to the countries-specific factors to explain the observable differences in the level of FLID among the UK, Italian, Hong Kong and Chinese American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) firms trading in US Exchanges.

To validate the levels of FLID, corporate financial information environment (CFIE)-final reports structure extractor (FRSE) was conducted on the annual reports of a sample of 353 listed firm observations in 2020 across four different countries. Also, the ordinary least square regression model was used to examine the proposed relationships.

The empirical results indicate that the level of FLID is highest among the Chinese ADRs firms trading in US Exchanges and UK listed firms. Also, ownership concentration and gender diversity have a positive correlation with the level of FLID. Additionally, long-term orientation positively influences the level of FLID. Considering the moderation effect of power distance and masculinity dimensions, countries with larger power distance tend to have a lower impact of ownership concentration on the level of FLID, whereas countries with higher masculinity tend to have a lesser positive relationship between gender diversity and the level of FLID.

Notwithstanding, this study provides novel and persuasive evidence regarding the effects of firm- and country-specific characteristics as possible determinants of forward-looking disclosures, drawing on evidence from international companies with free floats, boards with female quotas and cultural values including masculinity and long-term orientation. This work offers unique insights from the upper echelons lens, which implies that firms need to obtain a critical mass of gender diversity to achieve a more balanced forward-looking perspective on their annual reports.