Telemedicine in Middle Eastern countries: Progress, barriers, and policy recommendations

Al-Samarraie, Hosam; Ghazal, Samar; Alzahrani, Ahmed Ibrahim; Moody, Louise

doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104232

Cited by 82 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Lack of awareness was described as a major barrier for adopting telemedicine in developing Middle Eastern countries, resulting in resistance from the doctors and the patients, in addition to poor infrastructure, lack of funding, and poor technological training (8,9). In contrast, this study demonstrated the high feasibility of scheduled visits and acceptance of virtual visits among the participants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…However, patients who did and did not participate in the visits showed similar cognition, education level, and age, emphasizing the impact of Internet availability and social support in technology use. Privacy concern was reported by a female patient; this is related to cultural and religious beliefs as a relevant obstacle for telemedicine in our region (9).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…These barriers, in addition to cultural resistance and lack of regulations, have been variably reported among Middle Eastern countries and other developing countries (9,13). Consistently, most PD patients who participated in the virtual visit studies in developed countries were well-educated and more familiar with the technology (14).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Low personal communication could be explained by technical problems, low quality of the image from the patients' side, and cultural perceptions. Cultural issues, including the patients' acceptance and resistance, are common barriers in telemedicine in developing countries, including Egypt (9,12).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, all these reports were from studies performed in developed countries. In developing countries, cultural acceptance and awareness might be greater barriers than technical issues for the adoption of telemedicine (8,9). Therefore, further research is needed on different populations to identify the barriers for the adoption of telemedicine.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adopting Virtual Visits for Parkinson's Disease Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Developing Country

et al. 2020

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Objective: Telemedicine has been increasingly used, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, limited data are available from developing countries. The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, satisfaction of patients and physicians, and quality of service provided during virtual visits for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated limitations. Methods: Thirty-nine PD patients were contacted to schedule virtual visits using the Zoom application. Thereafter, we rated the feasibility, satisfaction, and quality of service provided by virtual visits using patients' and physicians' questionnaires. Results: Twenty-one out of 39 PD patients were scheduled for virtual visits. Nineteen virtual visits out of 21 (90.5%) were conducted successfully; 16 of these were accomplished in the first attempt (76.2%). The scores of satisfaction, quality of service, and set-up/preparation were 9.5 (8.5-10), 9.5 (9-10), and 8 (5-10) for the patients and 9 (7-10), 8 (6-10), and 10 (10-10) for the physicians, respectively. The average time that was saved was 270.79 ± 142.17 min, while an average of 76.38 ± 95.15 km of travel was avoided for the patients per visit. The most common limitations for conducting virtual visits were a lack of Internet connection and the inability to use technology (75%). Conclusions: The present study showed the feasibility and the high satisfaction level of patients and physicians as well as the favorable service quality of virtual visits for PD in a developing country during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the lack of Internet connectivity and the inability to use technology were the main limitations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adopting Virtual Visits for Parkinson's Disease Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Developing Country

et al. 2020

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Utility of telemedicine in sub‐Saharan Africa during the COVID ‐19 pandemic. A rapid review

Chitungo

Mhango

Mbunge

et al. 2021

Human Behav and Emerg Tech

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Telemedicine is the use of technology to achieve remote care. This review looks at the utility of telemedicine during the pandemic, period March 2020 to February 2021. Eleven articles met inclusion criteria. There was moderate use of telemedicine in sub‐Sahara Africa during the pandemic, however, there were also some limitations. Benefits of telemedicine include continuing medical service provision, connecting relatives with loved ones in quarantine, education, and awareness of mental health issues, and toxicovigilance and infection control. Challenges to the implementation of telemedicine on the continent were lack of supporting telemedicine framework and policies, digital barriers, and patient and healthcare personnel biases. To address these challenges, this article proposes the development of policy frameworks that fosters telemedicine use by all stakeholders, including medical insurance organizations, the introduction of telemedicine training of medical workers, educational awareness programs for the public, and improvement of digital platforms access and affordability.

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Telemedicine and Healthcare Ecosystem in India: A Review, Critique and Research Agenda

Shukla

Shamurailatpam²

2022

TELe-Health

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Telemedicine in Middle Eastern countries: Progress, barriers, and policy recommendations

Cited by 82 publications

References 36 publications

Adopting Virtual Visits for Parkinson's Disease Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Developing Country

Adopting Virtual Visits for Parkinson's Disease Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Developing Country

Utility of telemedicine in sub‐Saharan Africa during the COVID ‐19 pandemic. A rapid review

Telemedicine and Healthcare Ecosystem in India: A Review, Critique and Research Agenda

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