Study of Patients’ Satisfaction with different

types of Telemedicine Services provided by

the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia

Waleed Salem Alghamdi1*, Abdulrahman Owaynan Alshaibani2, Turki Ghazi

Alotaibi3

surveyed using a rigorous random selection technique. Two hundred and fifty users of the 940

medical contact centre and the Sehha app were selected at random to fill out a pre-designed

survey about their level of satisfaction with various aspects of the two health services. Out of 250

people who used telemedicine services, 83.14 percent were happy with the care they received

overall, while 8.03 percent were unhappy. These days, telemedicine apps are employed by a lot of

wealthy nations and even some underdeveloped ones to help provide healthcare to people faster

for all sorts of medical issues. In Saudi Arabia, telemedicine services generally had good

satisfaction ratings, with no discernible variation in ratings between the 940 medical contact

centre and the Sehha app. Customers who used telemedicine services were generally pleased and

were even willing to recommend them to others.

practitioners, patients, and the system as a whole[4]. Telemedicine is a field that is always developing,

both in terms of technology and our knowledge of it. It is adapting to new health settings and the

requirements of populations[5].

Telemedicine apps have made it easier to monitor chronic illnesses with fewer non-urgent hospital visits,

which is particularly helpful for vulnerable groups and children. Patients are now able to get the treatment

they need without leaving the comfort of their own homes[6]. Many common healthcare procedures may

be expedited with the use of telemedicine, including the delivery of prescriptions, the tracking of patient

samples with labs, the execution of radiological exams, and the provision of timely information. Patients

are less likely to miss appointments or not take their medications as prescribed when they may do so

online.[7]

tracks, and evaluates its development and implementation throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [10]

It is imperative that laws governing privacy, access, and security be strengthened. When using

telemedicine ICT, it is important to keep in mind the ethical considerations of privacy, dignity, and

secrecy. As things stand, the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) must authorise any

training that a healthcare practitioner receives that teaches them how to utilise these services. [11]

Legislation and specialised apps for remote care provision should be included of the telemedicine training

curriculum. In order to improve patient care, increase financial performance, and speed up technological

innovation, the Kingdom's Vision 2030 prioritises public-private partnerships, highlights the importance of

a national telemedicine network, and outlines steps to improve it. [12,13]

When it comes to integrating telemedicine, reshaping service delivery, and expanding access for remote

telemedicine platforms also poses a threat. Compatibility with Islamic law, social conventions, and

traditions, as well as Saudi society at large, provide substantial cultural and social constraints. Other

challenges to the effective usage and implementation of telemedicine include low levels of computer

literacy and reluctance to embrace new methods. Another obstacle are language limitations. The majority

of patients speak Arabic as their native language, but most of the systems in place were built in English,

which makes translating them a programming problem.

important aspects that should be taken into account while planning the establishment of hospital

information systems. The availability of high-quality healthcare for patients is enhanced when healthcare

providers' capacity and skill sets are enhanced in relation to health technology. [18] In order for

telemedicine services to run well, organisations need to improve their training programmes for healthcare

gauge how satisfied customers were with telemedicine services. Consumers' satisfaction with the two

telemedicine services, the 940 medical call centre and the Sehha app, were evaluated and compared

using a systematic random sampling approach with a sample interval of 1:13. Based on the Saudi

Ministry of Health's a p-value of 91%, a z-value of 2.576 (corresponding to a confidence level of 99%), a

d-value of 5%, and a design effect of (1), the determined sample size was 245 consumers. A total of 250

customers consented to take part in the poll. The customers were surveyed using a pre-designed

questionnaire that was sent over SMS and telephone. The validity and reliability of each item on the

questionnaire were examined by experts. The questionnaire collected data on socio-demographic

variables, service type, and satisfaction with several service items using closed-ended questions. In order

to find out how customers thought the services could be improved, we used an open-ended question.

squared test and student's t-test. A p-value less than 0.05 was used to determine the degree of

significance.

than the researchers conducting the study will have access to the personal data collected from the

customers. Exclusion criteria included a participant's refusal to take part in the research. An ethical review

committee (the Central Institutional review board committee) inside the Saudi Ministry of Health examined

and authorised the research proposal. The central IRB log number for this project is 20-91M, and the

permission letter was provided in June 2020.

RESULTS

Two hundred and fifty users of the 940 medical contact centre and the Sehha app were selected at

random to fill out a pre-designed survey about their level of satisfaction with various aspects of the two

health services. in the 250 customers that took part in this survey, 50.2% were male, and their average

age was 34.9 ± 9.89 years. Nearly 45% of the customers were located in the Riyadh region, and the vast

0.001). Patients were most satisfied with doctors' suggestions(77.29%), doctors' ability to communicate

(83.53%), patients' ability to listen (85.14%), and the length of time they had to wait (67.87%).

Of the 940 individuals who used the medical call centre, 53.2% were men, and the average age was 34.9

± 10 years. In terms of the service provided by 940 medical call centres, 83.74% of customers were

happy overall, while 8.86% were dissatisfied (p-value < 0.001). In order of importance, patients were most

satisfied with the medical call centre doctors' suggestions(73.89%), communication abilities(83.25%),

the medical services provided by the Sehha app, whereas 4.35% were dissatisfied (p-value < 0.001).

Figure.4 and table.2 show that 65.21 percent of users were satisfied with the suggestions made by

doctors, 84.78 percent with the accuracy of their communications, 95.6 percent with the attentiveness of

their listeners, and 56.51 percent with the length of time they had to wait for their appointment.

Customers' neutral reactions to the 940 medical contact center's general medical services were 7.39

percent, while those to the Sehha app were 15.22 percent.

Table 5: Customer Satisfaction with Telemedicine Services and How Often They Use Them.

Table 6: Rates of Customer Satisfaction with the Sehha Application.

With over three quarters of the 250 people who took part in the survey having utilised the Saudi Ministry

Table 8: Regularity of Telemedicine Consultations.

Regarding each telemedicine service, 77.37 percent of customers who called the 940 medical contact

centre called many times, and 75.5% of those customers were thinking about recommending the service

to others. But 84.78% of users have used Sehha more than once, and 100% of users are considering

recommending it to others.

DISCUSSION

Arabia, where some women are reluctant to discuss or undergo medical examinations related to

gynaecological and obstetric consultations with male doctors.23Patients' opinions on telemedicine

services offered by different hospitals throughout the world have been the subject of several prior studies.

After using telemedical consultations, patients were quite happy, according to five studies. In addition,

compared to in-person appointments, many patients who participated in these trials really preferred

telemedicine. [24] Consistent with the present study's results in Saudi Arabia, these earlier studies

demonstrated the many benefits of telemedicine, including increased patient satisfaction, decreased

hospital readmission rates, and alleviating emergency room overburden. [25]

1. Cassoobhoy A. What Is Telemedicine? How Does Telehealth Work? 2020 Retrieved from

20. Bashshur, Rashid L et al. “The empirical foundations of telemedicine interventions for chronic