Assess Perspective and Knowledge of Healthcare Providers Towards Telehealth in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background and Objective: Telehealth has become a well-known tool for the delivery of health care in Saudi Arabia, and the perspective and knowledge of healthcare providers are influential in the implementation, adoption and advancement of the method. This systematic review was conducted to examine the current literature base regarding telehealth and the related healthcare professional perspective and knowledge in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Materials and Methods: This systematic review was conducted by searching seven databases, including MEDLINE, CINHAL, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO and ProQuest Central. Inclusion criteria designated studies that were published in the English language from 2000 to 2023 in Saudi Arabia, full-text available and assessed the perspective or knowledge of healthcare providers towards telehealth. This systematic review was guided by Boland's guidance. All related studies were individually assessed by the researcher using the AXIS tool, which assesses the quality of cross-sectional studies in a systematic review. Data were extracted into a table, and a narrative synthesis was carried out to summarise and report the findings.

Results: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria out of the 1840 search results. Positive perspective and low levels of knowledge among providers were observed across the studies. Frequent reasons for a positive attitude toward telehealth among healthcare providers were improving healthcare quality, access and delivery, saving time and money and its effective use. In addition, age, gender, profession and work experience were identified as factors associated with health professionals' knowledge level. The major challenges facing healthcare providers in practicing telehealth in Saudi Arabia are insufficient expert support, patient privacy, internet connection issues, lack of training courses, lack of knowledge of telehealth usage and high cost.

Conclusions: This systematic review highlighted the existing perception and knowledge of health care providers towards telehealth. As a compilation of the varied personal attitude and knowledge of concerned professionals, it will assist in the better implementation of telehealth in Saudi Arabia, improve its advancement as a health care delivery option and reduced common challenges to its use.