The Saudi Experience of Health-Related Social Media Use: A Scoping Review

Kheir, Dalia Y. M. El; Boumarah, Dhuha N; Bukhamseen, Fatimah Mousa; Masoudi, Jumana; Boubshait, Leila A.

doi:10.1159/000516473

Cited by 11 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The implementation of telemedicine, however, has encountered various barriers in Saudi Arabia. These issues include bureaucracy, lack of expertise, inadequate IT infrastructure, absence of guidelines, and insufficient institutional support [ 9 ]. Therefore, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health must assess health care workers’ knowledge and perceptions of telemedicine to facilitate its future implementation while considering patient privacy and confidentiality concerns [ 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Through technological advancements and appropriately oriented policy developments, telemedicine could become a sustainable mainstream solution for both public health emergencies and routine care [ 9 ]. Telemedicine may be a reasonable choice for physicians in the future if properly used by patients and if legal guidelines for telemedicine are implemented to address the aforementioned concerns [ 18 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physicians’ Perceptions of Telemedicine Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Cross-sectional Study

idriss¹,

Aldhuhayyan²,

Alasaadi³

et al. 2022

JMIR Form Res

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Background The term “telemedicine” refers to the use of communication technology to deliver health care remotely. The COVID-19 pandemic had substantial impacts on health care delivery from 2020 onward, and it was necessary to adapt high-quality care in a manner that limited the potential for viral exposure of both patients and health care workers. Physicians employed video, phone, and electronic written (e-consultation) visits, all of which provided quality of care comparable to that of face-to-face visits while reducing barriers of adopting telemedicine. Objective This study sought to assess physicians’ perspectives and attitudes regarding the use of telemedicine in Riyadh hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main objects of assessment were as follows: (1) physicians’ experience using telemedicine, (2) physicians’ willingness to use telemedicine in the future, (3) physicians’ perceptions of patient experiences, and (4) the influence of telemedicine on burnout. Methods This study employed SurveyMonkey to develop and distribute an anonymous 28-question cross-sectional survey among physicians across all specialty disciplines in Riyadh hospitals. A chi-square test was used to determine the level of association between variables, with significance set to P<.05. Results The survey was distributed among 500 physicians who experienced telemedicine between October 2021 and December 2021. A total of 362 doctors were included, of whom 28.7% (n=104) were consultants, 30.4% (n=110) were specialists, and 40.9% (n=148) were residents. Male doctors formed the majority 56.1% (n=203), and female doctors accounted for 43.9% (n=159). Overall, 34% (n=228) agreed or somewhat agreed that the “quality of care during telemedicine is comparable with that of face-to-face visits.” Approximately 70% (n=254) believed that telemedicine consultation is cost-effective. Regarding burnout, 4.1% (n=15), 7.5% (n=27), and 27.3% (n=99) of the doctors reported feeling burnout every day, a few times a week, and a few times per month, respectively. Conclusions The physicians had generally favorable attitudes toward telemedicine, believing that its quality of health care delivery is comparable to that of in-person care. However, further research is necessary to determine how physicians’ attitudes toward telemedicine have changed since the pandemic and how this virtual technology can be used to improve physicians’ professional and personal well-being.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physicians’ Perceptions of Telemedicine Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Cross-sectional Study

idriss¹,

Aldhuhayyan²,

Alasaadi³

et al. 2022

JMIR Form Res

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“…Screening of the literature revealed that the average search for health information by Saudis via the internet and social media varies from 50% to 90%. 7,12,19,20 In these studies, Twitter was the most used social media platform among Saudi adults to search for health information due to the ease of performing the search. These results are consistent with the findings of the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 Similarly, these participants perceived nutritional information from both healthcare professionals and online sources to be very reliable. 10 Research studies from different countries (USA, Australia, and Saudi Arabia) stated the use of several social media platforms in aspects related to health 6,[11][12][13] ; however, no investigation has examined the use of social media to search for weight loss information among Saudis. The objectives of the current study were to assess the prevalence and patterns of using social media as a source for weight loss information among Saudi adults and to assess their perceptions of the benefits and risks related to this practice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of social media to search for weight reduction information: Assessment of the perception among a sample of Saudi adults

et al. 2022

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Objective To assess the patterns, prevalence, and perceptions of the benefits and risks of using social media as a source of weight loss information among Saudi adults. Methods In this cross-sectional study, convenient snowball sampling was used to recruit Saudi adults. A self-report questionnaire containing the following five sections was distributed: sociodemographic information, the pattern of social media use, use of social media to obtain weight loss information, perception of benefits, and perception of risks of using social media. A Chi-square test was used to identify differences according to participants' demographics. Results A total of 420 Saudi adults were included in the study. Most Saudi adults (43.3%) used social media for more than four hours a day, and 88.6% used WhatsApp. The prevalence of social media use for weight loss information was 89.2% among Saudi adults. Significant associations were found between the use of social media for weight loss information and age (<33 years old) and monthly income (<5000 Saudi Arabian Riyal) ( p ≤ 0.012). Of the participants, 71.7% believed that social media is “always” or “frequently” an easily acceptable way to obtain weight loss information. Moreover, 36% of Saudi adults believed that weight loss information on social media could be scientifically inaccurate, and 61% believed that it could be posted solely for marketing and financial purposes. Conclusion The findings of this study show that Saudi adults have a high prevalence of social media use to obtain weight loss information. The benefits and risks of using social media as a source of weight loss information were also perceived to be high among Saudi adults.

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“…Currently, the bulk of the scientific literature on telemedicine use focuses on topics such as its usability, costeffectiveness [5,[10][11][12], platforms used, user characteristics [10,13], application challenges and facilitators [14], and patient and physician satisfaction [15][16][17]. When dedicating the search to the ethical and legal aspects of telemedicine, these were not as thoroughly covered, with a very limited assessment of related real-life experiences of healthcare practitioners, their perspectives and attitudes, particularly in Arab countries [18,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physicians’ Perspective of Telemedicine Regulating Guidelines and Ethical Aspects: A Saudi Experience

Kheir

Alnufaili

Aldossari

et al. 2022

International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications

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Background and Objective. The rapid emergence and evolution of digital technology have greatly improved the quality and accessibility of healthcare services worldwide. Nonetheless, the literature is scarce regarding the ethical and legal aspects of telemedicine and social media (SM) use in healthcare. Thus, this paper examines physicians’ perceptions about the use of telemedicine in patient care, their awareness of guidelines for health-related use of telemedicine, and their knowledge, attitude, and practice of the ethical and legal regulations governing the use of telemedicine in the healthcare context. Methods. This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted among physicians working at the College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), and its affiliated academic tertiary hospital, King Fahad Hospital of the University (KFHU), Eastern province-KSA. Data were collected between August 2019 and March 2020 via a structured, pretested, self-administered questionnaire distributed to 220 eligible physicians at KFHU. A final sample of 101 physicians completed our survey. Collected data was coded and analysed using SPSS, and the results presented as frequencies, percentages, and summary statistics. Results. Among our respondents, 62 (61.4%) were males, 46 (45.5%) were in the age group of 35 to 44 years, and 62 (61.3%) were Saudi. Two-thirds of physicians (58 (57.4%)) use smart devices in healthcare delivery, and 51 (50.5%) are satisfied with this use. A minority (21 (20.8%)) knew about telemedicine guidelines, 8 (7.9%) had encountered legal issues related to telemedicine use, and 52 (51.5%) were doubtful about patients’ readiness for virtual care. Regarding physicians’ awareness of the ethical aspects regulating the use of social media and medical apps in patient care, only 44 (45.3%) were aware of the proper reporting system if they found accounts sharing unreliable information. Nevertheless, the majority (91 (92.9%)) agreed it is essential for healthcare providers to report such accounts. Concerning physicians’ awareness of the rules and regulations of online self-promotion, the majority of our respondents were unsure or unaware of such regulations (46 (45.6%) and 18 (17.8%)), respectively. Nonetheless, 67 (66.3%) of the physicians would not pay SM influencers to advertise for them. Conclusion. Two-thirds of our physicians use smart devices in healthcare delivery, with 1 in 13 having encountered related legal issues. Nonetheless, only a minority was aware of telemedicine use regulating guidelines, including physicians’ online self-promotion regulations. These results highlight the necessity of targeted physicians’ training on telemedicine use related guidelines, thereby ensuring the safety of both patients and healthcare professionals and the optimum utilization of online health-related interactions.

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The Saudi Experience of Health-Related Social Media Use: A Scoping Review

Cited by 11 publications

References 38 publications

Physicians’ Perceptions of Telemedicine Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Cross-sectional Study

Physicians’ Perceptions of Telemedicine Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Cross-sectional Study

The use of social media to search for weight reduction information: Assessment of the perception among a sample of Saudi adults

Physicians’ Perspective of Telemedicine Regulating Guidelines and Ethical Aspects: A Saudi Experience

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