Suchergebnisse

Abdulelah M Aldhahir,1 Jaber S Alqahtani,2 Malik A Althobiani,3,4 Saeed M Alghamdi,5,6 Abeer F Alanazi,7 Norah Alnaim,8 Abdullah A Alqarni,3 Hassan Alwafi9 1Respiratory Therapy Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Respiratory Therapy, Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 4UCL Respiratory, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK; 5Clinical Technology Department, Respiratory Care Program, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 6National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK; 7Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, UCL School of Pharmacy, London, UK; 8Department of Computer Science, College of Science and Humanities in Jubail, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 9Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Mecca, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Abdulelah M Aldhahir, Respiratory Therapy Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia, Email Aldhahir.abdulelah@hotmail.comBackground: General population knowledge, satisfaction, and barriers to using Seha app have not been evaluated from a large-scale perspective. Therefore, this study aimed to explore current knowledge, satisfaction, and barriers of using Seha app and identify the most common mobile health application used among the general population in Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey, consisting of 25 questions, was distributed among the general population of Saudi Arabia. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the respondents' characteristics. Categorical variables were reported as frequencies and percentages. A chi-square (χ 2) test was conducted to assess the statistical difference between respondents' demographic characteristics and their knowledge and use of the app.Results: Overall, 5008 respondents, both Saudi (3723: 74%) and non-Saudi (1285: 26%) as well as male 2142 (43%) and female 2866 (57%), across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia completed the online survey. A total of 2921 (58%) had heard of the Seha app, although only 1286 (25%) had used the app. Higher percentages of users were from the western region, females and those within the age group of ≥ 51 years old, 388 users (29%: P< 0.001), 804 (28%; P< 0.001) and 67 (35%; P=0.013), respectively. Consulting a doctor was the most frequently utilized service, 576 users (58%). Respondents strongly agreed 402 (41%) that Seha was easy to use, and 538 (54%) strongly agreed that they would recommend Seha to others. The most common barrier of using Seha was a lack of knowledge about the app and its benefits, at 1556 (35%). Overall, the Tawakkalna app was the most utilized mobile health application provided by MOH used 2170 (48%).Conclusion: Utilization of the Seha app is quite low due to a lack of knowledge about the app and its benefits. Thus, the MOH should promote public awareness about the app and its benefits.Keywords: E-health, telemedicine, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Ministry of Health, mobile app, user satisfaction, mHealth