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

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 11;18(20):10617. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182010617.

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; Saudi Arabia; data security; medical practice; telemedicine.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Humans
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Telemedicine*