Ranking of E-Health Barriers Faced by Saudi Arabian Citizens, Healthcare Professionals and IT Specialists in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Many boundaries are hindering successful utilisation of e-health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). We have previously proposed an integrated framework of knowledge management and knowledge discovery to overcome barriers of e-health in KSA. Our proposed framework facilitates diabetes self-management for diabetic citizens in the Kingdom. In this paper, we will investigate and rank the barriers of e-health in KSA from the prospective of three stakeholders. We designed a questionnaire which constituted of items related to eight different e-health barriers and its associated sub-barriers. Citizens participated in 51 items related to six barriers. Healthcare professionals answered 83 items related to eight barriers. IT specialists participated in 74 items related to six barriers. Within each group of respondents, we compared the mean scores for each factor and sub-factor. The highest possible score for the mean was 5.00 and the lowest was 0.00 where the higher the mean score was the more the barrier constituted an obstacle for e-health in KSA. Citizens ranked the connectivity of information system as the top barrier with the mean of 4.0 whereas the least barrier was the cultural barriers with the mean score of 3.1. Healthcare professionals ranked the connectivity of information systems as the top barriers with the mean score of 3.5 whereas the least barrier was the technical expertise and computer skills with the mean score of 2.2. The top ranked barrier from the perspective of IT specialists was the medication safety with the mean score of 3.5 and the least ranked barrier was security and privacy with the mean score of 2.2. The results showed consistency with the literature review. Our proposed framework will contribute to the successful implementation of e-health initiatives and assist citizens in KSA to selfmanage diabetes.

Evaluating the Readiness of Mobile Technology with Respect to e-Heath for Medication in Saudi Arabia: An Integrative Perspective

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“… 1 , 19 These barriers include cultural norms, illiteracy, inadequate knowledge of computer, and other IT skills. 18 …”

Health information systems in Jordan and Palestine: the need for health informatics training

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“…The e-health issues are discussed in details in [62], eliciting several e-health issues to the majority of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) being adopted in healthcare in KSA. In this paper, the second issue is discussed.…”

“…This portal captures valuable guidelines, strategies and best practices that can help diabetic citizens to control their disease. The portal is named Diabetes Self-Management in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (DSMKSA) and is designed with respect to barriers affecting ehealth initiatives in KSA as discussed in [62] (see Figure 5).…”