The Impact of Digital Transformation on Healthcare Service Quality and Sustainability Enhancement: An Analytical Study in the Saudi Context

Abstract

Digital healthcare offers hope as a solution to problems like higher levels of patients’ expectations, low effectiveness, and organizational and environmental management questions. There is however a research gap in the literature regarding the effects of digital transformation particularly in the Saudi Arabian healthcare sector. Therefore, this study seeks to fill this gap by assessing the impact of digital technologies on service quality and sustainability with reference to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 agenda. The research focused on assessing the effectiveness of the implemented digital technologies in improving the healthcare performance indicators related to patients’ satisfaction, organisational productivity and environmental performance. Questionnaires, interviews, and institutional documents were administered in the current study from twenty healthcare facilities. Hypothesis testing using regression and ANOVA tests were also used to analyze the impact of levels of digitization on healthcare achievement. Altogether, it is possible to conclude that greater levels of digital transformation (mean DTL = 3.9) are associated with enhanced patient satisfaction (mean score = 8.1, p < 0.01) coupled with higher treatment effectiveness rates (90.2%, p < 0.05) and efficient resource allocation (81%, p < 0.01). Most importantly, the analysis revealed lower readmission rates amongst the facilities with high digital integration (mean =4%, p < 0.01) and improved energy utilization efficiency (mean = 88%, p < 0.05). Nevertheless, problems ranging from high implementation costs (mean score of 7.3), resistance to change to (16.8%), and poor training (a score of 7.2) were revealed. Therefore, the present research aims to address the relation and impact of digital tools in improving the healthcare system and its sustainability. To extend the potential benefits, so important to business success, it is necessary to universalize them by overcoming such impediments as cost and resistance. These results were important for policymakers and healthcare managers who are seeking to carry out digital transformation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s healthcare sector.