2,713 research outputs found
Investigation Interoperability Problems in Pharmacy Automation: A Case Study in Saudi Arabia
The aim of this case study is to investigate the nature of interoperability problems in hospital systems automation. One of the advanced healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia is the host of the study. The interaction between the pharmacy system and automated medication dispensing cabinets is the focus of the case system. The research method is a detailed case study where multiple data collection methods are used. The modelling of the processes of inpatient pharmacy systems is presented using Business Process Model Notation. The data collected is analysed to study the different interoperability problems. This paper presents a framework that classifies health informatics interoperability implementation problems into technical, semantic, organisational levels. The detailed study of the interoperability problems in this case illustrates the challenges to the adoption of health information system automation which could help other healthcare organisations in their system automation projects
A systematic review of the adoption and acceptance of eHealth in Saudi Arabia: views of multiple stakeholders.
Background: eHealth is defined as “the use of information and communication technology for health”. Adoption and acceptance are key concepts to measure the level of eHealth impact. The aim of this systematic review was to critically appraise, synthesise and present evidence of the status of eHealth adoption and acceptance in Saudi Arabia from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. Methods: Based on a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guided protocol published with the international prospective register of systematic reviews (Prospero), five databases were searched for articles published between 1993 and 2017. Inclusion and exclusion criteria of studies were applied in which only peer-reviewed, full-text primary research articles in English language were included. One reviewer performed the searches; two reviewers independently screened the titles then abstracts followed by full articles. Studies excluded were recorded with reasons. Critical appraisal tools appropriate to study design were applied. Eleven items from every study were extracted for further synthesis. Results: After duplicates were removed, 110 papers were screened, and 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies were generally of good quality. Thirty-nine factors were identified as influences affecting the adoption and acceptance of eHealth in Saudi Arabia. Lack of eHealth studies from the perspective of health managers and the limitation of studies to few geographical areas were identified as knowledge gaps. Conclusion: eHealth field in Saudi Arabia showed evidence of continual growth in both publications and awareness of significance. Therefore, findings from this review may help key professionals to address the current challenges and barriers and prioritise the main areas for improvement
Barriers to Implementing E-health Insurance in Saudi Arabia
E-health insurance is a fairly new concept in some parts of the world, while some countries have made great progresses in this area, others fall behind owing to a variety of factors. Countries are in a different technological, economic, and professional state, hence they are bound to differ in the implementation of e-health insurance. This study recognizes that many people around the world are yet to acquire an insurance cover despite the continuing adoption of technologies that make the process easier, faster, and convenient. Therefore, e-health insurance is investigated from the perspective of the Saudi Arabian market. The key objectives included assessing the progress that Saudi Arabia has made in e-health; investigating the people’s willingness to embrace e-health insurance, and determining the factors delaying proper implementation of e-health in the country. A qualitative methodology was utilized as it gives access to people’s opinions, attitudes, or perceptions towards different issues of interest. A semi-structured interview was used to collect data from three groups of people that are involved in the implementation of e-health insurance; 10 public representatives, 10 healthcare practitioners, and 10 government representatives selected through purposive sampling. The study results indicated that e-health insurance was still at its developing stages in Saudi Arabia. A large part of the population is yet to embrace e-health insurance for reasons such as the lack of awareness. Many people still do not understand the insurance concept and the benefits associated with health insurance. Others barriers to the implementation of e-health insurance in Saudi Arabia include technological barriers, negative attitude, misconceptions about insurance, and religious beliefs. Awareness programs are recommended to solve some of the issues that make it hard for Saudi Arabians to embrace e-health insurance. The country also needs effective strategies to make e-health insurance more accessible to the masses. Keywords: Technology adoption; E-health Insurance in KSA; e-health insurance system ; implementing e-health insurance; Developing Countries; e-health marketin
Ubiquitous Electronic Medical Record (EMR) for Developing Countries
Around the globe, Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) has been evolved either by governments or healthcare providers. The utilization of these technologies has resulted in the improvement of healthcare services all over the world. This evolution has been characterized by availability, reliability, serviceability to patients, and has been enhanced with increased cost and time efficiency. As such, new systems and terms have been established. Electronic Medical Record (EMR), which can also be used interchangeably with Electronic Health Record (EHR) is considered to be the main transformation in healthcare information technologies. EMR has been aimed to reduce and eliminate existing paper based approaches. Many countries have adopted the use of EMR systems all over the world. However, these systems differ from country to country even though they serve the same purpose. The differentiation of implementing the EMR system often leads to incompatibility, which complicates cooperation between healthcare providers, and also compromises the efficient use and analysis of data that can be gathered from different locations or systems. This thesis highlights and addresses the implementation of EMR on cloud-based systems to enable improvements in HIT. In particular, the scope of this research focuses on the use of EMR or EHR in Saudi Arabia, and establishes clinical information transaction standards that can be easily adopted by the different EMR application architectures available. Furthermore, the implementation of a cloud-based system is proposed for standard EMR to be used by both public and private healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia. The advantage that cloud technologies facilitate is the availability of data regardless of the patient, clinician, or physician’s location. Similarly, these technologies enable a linkage and utilization of the Health Information Exchange (HIE) by healthcare researchers and providers to invest in data through online and offline cooperation. Support for the standardization of the EMR system on cloud-based technology will minimize or at best prevent human’s errors, repetition or duplication of records, and reduce cost of operation and time
A mixed methods study of factors influencing health managers acceptance of eHealth services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is a country with one of the largest land masses and most difficult geographical terrain in the Middle East. The accessibility of advanced health services, especially for people in rural areas, has been considered one of the main health challenges. Health services across the country are accessible through three categories of providers. The Ministry of Health (MOH), which is the dominant health provider, is responsible for 60% of all health services and facilities. The private health sector and other government-run health authorities are the providers for the remaining 40%. Many initiatives to embrace technology in healthcare were launched by the MOH to advance the level of acceptance. One of the initiatives was the ambitious National eHealth Strategy, which was launched in 2011 to govern eHealth projects across the country, and to set consistent standards, policies, and procedures for the practice activities. This study was sponsored by the MOH as part of a bigger plan to involve stakeholders in the digital transformation. The overall aim of this doctoral research was to explore the factors that influence health managers' acceptance of eHealth services in KSA. The 1st phase was a systematic review (SR): based on a PRISMA-P guided protocol published with CRD Prospero, five databases were searched for studies published between 1993 and 2017. One reviewer performed the search; two reviewers screened the titles and abstracts. Exclusions were recorded with reasons. Tools appropriate to study design were applied independently by two reviewers to assess the quality of included studies. After duplicates were removed, 110 papers were screened and 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. From these 15 papers, 39 factors were identified as influencing varying levels of eHealth adoption and acceptance in KSA. Lack of studies on the views of health managers and limited studies from only a few geographical settings were also identified as knowledge gaps. The 2nd phase was a survey: an online questionnaire in both Arabic and English language was designed around the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model determinants. Professionals with a health managerial role from multiple disciplines - such as health professions, administration, and health IT - were invited to take part in the study. Ethical approval had been gained. Participation links were distributed across a range of social media platforms. SPSS v25 was used for data analysis. Findings from the 2nd phase survey showed the significance (p < 0.05) of Performance Expectancy and Social Influence moderated by age to the Behavioural Intention of health managers as well as the Performance Expectancy and Facilitating Conditions to the actual Use Behaviour. Some ambiguous results need further investigations. The 3rd phase consisted of a mixture of face-to-face and telephone in-depth interviews with 21 health managers from Aseer province, KSA. Four umbrella domains were derived from the UTAUT model. The pre-defined themes from phases 1 and 2 were explored and mapped against the domains. Ethical approval had been gained. Microsoft Excel and NVivo were used for the data analysis. Through the interviews, ambiguity in the previous phase was clarified and the most influential factors based on the views of health managers in Aseer province, KSA, were identified. Three domains out of four showed significance: Performance Expectancy, Social Influence, and Facilitating Conditions. This mixed methods research design presented across three phases was adopted with the findings from each phase informing the next. Overall, the research confirmed the influence of the same factors on health managers' acceptance of eHealth services in KSA and generated original findings. First, by providing evidence that this area has not been previously studied through registering a protocol and publishing a systematic review. Second, by using social media platforms to support a novel recruitment approach for the study. Third, by employing UTAUT as a theoretical framework in both quantitative and qualitative phases. Finally, exploring eHealth practice in Aseer province, a part of KSA that has not previously been explored in the published literature. These original findings draw a clearer picture of the potential challenges faced by health managers in KSA in accepting and using eHealth services. The findings may also work as a foundational basis from which to better prepare other stakeholder groups for accepting eHealth services. By doing so, staff can more effectively utilise health technology interventions as key concepts in making successful and positive transformational and sustainable change to the delivery of healthcare
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Teleconsultation perspective for cardiovascular patients in Saudi Arabia
This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This research of teleconsultation services aims to improve the quality of diagnosis and treatment for rural cardiovascular patients through utilizing distant medical expertise. Equitable access to expert healthcare as well as improved medical management for these patients can assist in modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and reduce morbidity and mortality in Saudi Arabia. The objectives were to design and develop a new care pathway for cardiovascular disease patients by utilizing teleconsultation technology, investigate factors and issues that might act as barriers to its adoption, and then evaluate the impact of this model on the stakeholders. A small scale pilot project was used to determine the issues of technology, processes and human resources required to deliver an effective service with the context of the research setting. Four primary healthcare centres, two regional hospitals, fifteen patients and sixty other participant stakeholders were included in this study. An approach using (PCP) patient care pathways was used to introduce the teleconsultation technology and integrate it within the healthcare delivery system. Compared to the traditional PCP, the modified PCP utilising teleconsultation technology improved the quality of healthcare through: Improved access to medical care and quality of diagnosis by obtaining the expertise of a distant specialist. More efficient medical evaluation and management. Enhanced role of primary healthcare centres and participating hospitals by providing all levels of health services for patients. Evidence-based referral (reduced waiting time, reduced burden on outpatient clinics). The telconsultation adoption barriers included: Inadequacy of finance Limited infrastructure Legal and regularity difficulties. Organization issues.
Literacy on technology. This study recommends the following for telemedicine implementation in the country: Promote perception and readiness for ICT services with the healthcare community. Enhance structural readiness including appropriate infrastructure and adequate funding, human resources and equipment. Proactive policies to encourage growth of the telecommunication sector and to address concerns regarding privacy and security
Integrated Framework of Knowledge Discovery and Knowledge Management for E-health In Saudi Arabia: Supporting Citizens with Diabetes Mellitus
Saudi Arabia experiences insufficient effort in terms of patients’ education in relation to a
number of prevalent diseases, including diabetes mellitus, musculoskeletal disorders and
upper respiratory tract infections. In addition, the number of studies related to e-health
initiatives to support patients in the Kingdom are limited and only benefit patients of a few
hospitals. This situation leads to deficient application of self-management and education
strategies to empower patients to manage their diseases. Unfortunately, such a deficiency can affect the health status in the Kingdom negatively as diabetes mellitus is reported as the first cause of death in the Kingdom among all other prevalent diseases.
Although knowledge management has been proven to be a valuable approach to sharing
knowledge and educating users to manage their illnesses, it has not been implemented
appropriately to support the increasing number of diabetic citizens in Saudi Arabia. In this
research, knowledge management is integrated with knowledge discovery to support specific
needs of the diabetic community in the Kingdom. Such an integration constitutes an e-health
initiative to support diabetic citizens and healthcare professionals to manage this expanding
illness in Saudi Arabia. Knowledge discovery is implemented through data mining to elicit
useful knowledge related to specific diabetes complications encountered by diabetic citizens
in the Kingdom. The integrated framework applies the SECI model to capture and
disseminate useful diabetes self-management and educational expertise to support the
management of diabetes complications.
This integrated approach to knowledge management and knowledge discovery has provided
a valuable tool implemented in terms of a web portal. This has facilitated the exchange and
dissemination of tacit and explicit knowledge of the diabetic community in the forms of
strategies, guidelines and best practices. It has also overcome the issues faced by the
organisational and national cultures affecting knowledge management practice in Saudi
Arabia
Adoption of M-Health Applications: The Saudi Arabian Healthcare Perspectives
Despite the vital role that mobile applications will play in the implementation of healthcare plans in the Saudi Vision 2030, several factors may influence the process. Due to the conflict of interest, lack of exposure, resistance to change, as well as limited technical knowledge of the apps, the Saudi Arabian society may inadvertently impede the government’s objectives. All the challenges could be related to individual perceptions, technical complexities, social influence, as well as organizational reliability and preparedness. The earlier the authorities identify the issues and respond to them, the faster it will be to succeed in the implementation of mobile health (m-health) and subsequent attainment of the Vision 2030 health goals. This study conducted a review of literature in this context. The proposed model and factors identified will be tested to understand patients’ perceptions of m-health applications. The results will be beneficial to increase the adoption rates of m-health in Saudi Arabia
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