Health Transformation in Saudi Arabia via Connected Health Technologies

Abstract

With the announcement of Vision 2030 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the Ministry of Health (MoH) has been tasked with developing new strategies to transform the entire health sector. Billions of Saudi riyals are spent on services that can be replaced with connected health technologies. The widespread population, vast expanse of the country, and the lack of expertise are other factors that motivated the drive to adopt connected health in the KSA. Connected health technologies can be a critical enabler necessary to enforce health system quality and safety practices. They offer cost-effective alternatives that can open new communication channels to overcome geographical barriers between patients and healthcare professionals around the world. The KSA government has recognized such benefits and proposed a novel transformation plan for healthcare. This chapter will enable the reader to understand connected health and its relevant technologies. Progress in healthcare transformation in the KSA, in addition to the details of the Saudi model of care (MoC), will also be presented. Key governmental projects and research articles are also discussed. Moreover, the way connected health technologies are currently promoted in the KSA is discussed, supported by use cases applied to Saudi culture. Finally, findings from the current literature will be reviewed and future research directions proposed.