Perspectives on Telemedicine during the Era of COVID-19; What Can Saudi Arabia Do?

Ali Mohsen Al-Hazmi, Haytham A. Sheerah and Ahmed Arafa
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Ali Mohsen Al-Hazmi: Health Promotion and Health Education Research Chair, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia
Haytham A. Sheerah: Health Promotion and Health Education Research Chair, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Arafa: Health Promotion and Health Education Research Chair, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-9

Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has represented a challenge to medical practice in Saudi Arabia and worldwide. In contrary to the increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients, there was a limitation in the capacity of medical practices and access to healthcare. A growing body of evidence from healthcare settings in Saudi Arabia and worldwide has suggested a possible role for telemedicine in responding to this evolving need. Telemedicine can be used for triage, direct care, follow-up, and consultation. It could be delivered through synchronous, asynchronous, and mixed approaches. While telemedicine has several advantages, such as accessibility and cost-effectiveness, its diagnostic reliability should be further investigated. The Saudi Vision (2030) has drawn up a roadmap to invest in digital healthcare during the coming decade; however, some barriers related to using telemedicine in Saudi healthcare settings, including cultural issues and technical difficulties, should be openly discussed. In addition, before putting telemedicine in practice on a wide scale in Saudi Arabia, more efforts should be carried out to issue updated legislation and regulations, discuss and respond to ethical concerns, and ensure data security.

Keywords: COVID-19; telemedicine; data security; medical practice; Saudi Arabia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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