Background: Advanced health information technology in providing health care to patients has become an integral part of practicing medicine. Telemedicine has shown to be especially useful in underserved communities where there is a shortage or absence of adequate clinical care, such as in remote areas. Still, with the pandemic Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the telemedicine and virtual care of patients was effectively and extensively adapted by the tertiary care hospitals in Riyadh. This study aimed to evaluate the standards and requirements of Saudi Arabias telemedicine practice ethics and the clients satisfaction.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey conducted in outpatients department in tertiary care hospitals in Riyadh during the COVID-19 lockdown. We included 393 patients age ≥ 18 years who were called through the virtual clinic. Data were collected between March 2020 and August 2020.
Result: MS Excel was used, three groups were classed by age (18-34 years; 35-44 years; 55 and older years), and the questionnaires were classified into three-partparts. The first was customer satisfaction regarding the telemedicine experience, and it showed 69%. The second was related to ethical considerations, and it showed 65%. The last was the telehealth patients rating, and it showed 61%.
Conclusion: The telemedicine programs facilitated by phone consultations were implemented, and initial findings suggest that patients have very well accepted the health care delivery, model. Our research findings have supported the use of virtual visits as a viable alternative to traditional in-person visits.
Key words: Telehealth, telemedicine, patient experience, virtual healthcare, patients satisfaction
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