The pilot study of the SAED system showed that a mobile health technology can significantly improve the HbA1C levels among Saudi diabetic and improve their disease management plans. The SAED system can also be an effective and low-cost solution in improving the quality of life of diabetic patients in the Kingdom considering the high level of prevalence and the increasing economic burden of this disease.

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Numerous M-health applications that fight against Alzheimer's have been surveyed and analyzed by using scientific methodology in which inclusion and exclusion criteria have been used. Based on this analysis, we were able to present the current research foci and define potential future research directions.

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Background: Screening approved medications to identify therapeutics for drug repurposing is an effective tactic, and a deep research into off label drug use (OLDU) is required. Unfortunately, OLDU has not been extensively studied in Middle East. Our study aimed to evaluate the extent of OLDU in Saudi Arabia.Methods: Retrospective study carried out during 12 month period at six tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Each prescription was evaluated as unlicensed or OLDU based on the product information or based on Food and drug Administration (FDA) approval.Results: A total of 288 prescriptions were analyzed, where the reasons for off-label prescribing were OLDU by indication (94.42%), OLDU by different age group (2.09%), and other reasons represented (3.48%). Adults/geriatrics (≥18 years) received (89.05%) of the orders, and children (1-11 years) received (7.78%) of the orders. Both adolescents (12-18 years) and neonates (1-29 days) received (1.42%) of the orders per each category, while infants (1 month-1 year) received (0.36%) of the orders. The therapeutic classes most often prescribed were antidepressants (21.88%), antidiabetics (17.71%), and atypical antipsychotics (10.06%).Conclusions: Off-label prescribing was found in most adults/geriatrics suffering from depression, and diabetes mellitus. The most common reason for off-label prescription was off-label by indication. The results call for the need to conduct more studies with larger sample size, do more investigations on the OLDU in the whole kingdom, and develop policy for OLDU across hospitals.

Childhood obesity is a widespread medical condition and presents a formidable challenge for public health. Long-term treatment strategies and early prevention strategies are required because obese children are more likely to carry this condition into adulthood, increasing their risk of developing other major health disorders. The present review analyses various technological interventions available for childhood obesity prevention and treatment. It also examines whether machine learning and technological interventions can play vital roles in its management. Twenty-six studies were shortlisted for the review using various technological strategies and analysed regarding their efficacy. While most of the selected studies showed positive outcomes, there was a lack of studies using robots and artificial intelligence to manage obesity in children. The use of machine learning was observed in various studies, and the integration of social robots and other efficacious strategies may be effective for treating childhood obesity in the future.

Background: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of mobile health technology such as private social network (PCOS system) in creating awareness about the disease management among the women diagnosed with the polycystic ovarian syndrome.Methods: A pilot study was conducted in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The study was carried out for a period of three months using a private social network as an intervention. The private social network is used as an interface to educate and create awareness among the participants in the study. Fifty women diagnosed with PCOS were randomly selected and were distributed in to control group (doesn't use PCOS system) and intervention group (use the private social network). The level of the polycystic ovarian syndrome awareness was measured using a structured questionnaire at the beginning and end of the follow-up period.Results: More than 80 posts and 10 pictures contain data about PCOS were conveyed by medical staff. Also, about 120 private SMS messages between medical staff and the patients were refined. The after effects of this investigation demonstrated that the intervention had better awareness about polycystic ovary syndrome management compared to the control group (F =18.25; P<0.0001).Conclusions: This study of the private social network among the PCOS patients demonstrated that mobile health technology such as the private social network can substantially enhance the PCOS disease awareness levels among Saudi women. The PCOS System can also help in reducing the costs as most of the disease management process is handled over the application through the messages and feedbacks is provided through the application, and in saving time by avoiding hospital visits. This study is first-of-its kind conducted in Saudi Arabia.

<p>A trend analysis of the prevalence of diabetes in Saudi Arabia revealed a steep increase in diagnosis rates for the disease between the years 1989 and 2009. Between these years, the percentage of the population suffering from diabetes rose from 10.6% to 32.1% of the adult population, and the diagnosis rate is likely to increase in the future. The controlling and prevention of diabetes in the future, therefore, would potentially benefit from a scholarly review of current policies and programmes designed to contain the disease. The current study examines such policies and programmes, specifically those existing in Saudi Arabia and which are currently in operation in 2016. It employs the thematic-content-analysis technique to review key literature, and also uses Walt and Gibson’s policy triangle framework to facilitate the analysis. Searches of PubMed and Medline databases were conducted to locate sources and sources were manually screened by the authors before inclusion in the study. The study concludes that prime obstacles to the successful implementation of diabetes programmes are: insufficient training of practitioners for the treatment of diabetes; lack of remuneration for the work of diabetes educators and no existing evaluation of their outputs; and a lack of training and appropriate modes of qualifying professionally for diabetes educators. The authors recommend that the Saudi government award a greater proportion of resources to programmes designed to treat diabetes sufferers, as well as educational programmes related to disease for the wider public.</p>