Assessment of Telemedicine Usage Among Saudis During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: Telemedicine was the first line of defense during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Saudi Arabia believes it is essential to emphasize telemedicine services to combat the virus as part of its early precautionary actions. Objectives: To measure the prevalence of telemedicine usage and determine the facilitators and barriers affecting telemedicine usage. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Saudis from October 2020 to April 2021. Participants received an online questionnaire through multiple social media platforms. Results: The prevalence of telemedicine usage was 45.2%. The most significant facilitator that affected the participants' usage was avoiding the infection of COVID-19, at 87.3%. In -person consultation preference was the biggest barrier preventing Saudis from using telemedicine services (62.5%). Conclusion: Not enough people are aware of telemedicine services, so it is recommended to multiply advertisements for the services provided to reach many users. To enhance Saudi Arabia's awareness of the risks of COVID-19, further studies are needed to assess telemedicine usage during COVID-19, since the majority of studies were conducted in advance.