Background The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of Saudi Arabian citizens towards telemedicine during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional survey was designed to carry out this study. The electronic survey, prepared using Google Forms, was distributed to 1500 randomly selected citizens of Saudi Arabia. A total of 330 participants completed and returned the questionnaire. Basic statistics were used to describe the data. Results The majority of the respondents (73.9%) were female. More than half of them (54.8%) were >35 y of age and had graduate or postgraduate degrees (65.5%). A total of 96.7% of the respondents were Saudis. Most of the participants (70.0%) were familiar with the term ‘telemedicine’ and thought that telemedicine (92.1%) could reduce transportation costs. Of the respondents, 58.8% had not seen a telemedicine system before and 67.0% indicated that they had not previously used telemedicine services. A total of 87.3% of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that telemedicine was a useful tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, more than half of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that telemedicine facilitates the diagnosis of people (58.8%), increases communication (58.2%), reduces clinic visits (85.9%) and performs tasks quickly (70.3%). Also, 51.5% of the respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that telemedicine affects patient privacy. Conclusions The outcomes indicated that most of the participants had a positive attitude towards the use of telemedicine as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. They believed that telemedicine saves time, labour and costs and is an effective tool to treat coronavirus patients at a safe distance. However, the government should develop programs to raise awareness in the population about the use of telemedicine for the treatment of various diseases that afflict the Saudi Arabian people. Likewise, a legal framework must be implemented to protect the privacy of patients and healthcare providers.

Objectives This study aims to explore the perceptions of different stakeholders about the privatisation of the Saudi health care system. Methods Using a qualitative case study design, we interviewed 21 administrators and clinical staff of a public hospital in the Eastern Province of the KSA and analysed all official documents relevant to this study. The analysis followed a thematic approach to provide an in-depth interpretation of the data. Results Our analysis generated three main themes. The first was pertinent to the changes in the governance structure, with gradually increased autonomy from the government. The second reflected the necessity to introduce accountability within hospitals. The third described the cooperative relationship among the E1-Cluster hospitals as well as its competitive relationship with the private sector. Conclusion Our study demonstrates the interplay between newly introduced concepts of autonomy and accountability within the Saudi health care system. The findings of this study and their implications for research, practice, and policy are elaborated. Such an understanding is essential to improve the implementation process of privatisation and to recognise new dynamics that are shaping the health care system. The study contributes to the current scarce literature on health care reforms in KSA by reporting perceptions and experiences of key stakeholders.

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