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Cited by 179Telemedicine and Telehealth ImplementationTechnology Use by Older AdultsElectronic Health Records Systems

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 58 of the 60 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Telemedicine in Middle Eastern countries: Progress, barriers, and policy recommendations

Open access
Al-Samarraie, Hosam, Ghazal, Samar, Alzahrani, Ahmed Ibrahim, Moody, Louise·2020·International Journal of Medical Informatics
DOI 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104232
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Abstract

Background Despite attempts to reform the healthcare delivery system in the Middle East, expectations for its progress have been-and for some still are-somewhat slow.Objective This study reviewed progress in the use and adoption of telemedicine in Middle Eastern countries. The key dimensions affecting the progress of telemedicine in these countries were identified.Method A systematic review of the literature was conducted on 43 peer reviewed articles from 2010 to 2020. The review followed the scientific process of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines of identification, selection, assessment, synthesis, and interpretation of findings.Results The results showed that progress made in the utilization of telemedicine was insufficient and varies across Middle Eastern countries. Certain cultural, financial, organizational, individual, technological, legal, and regulatory challenges were found to prevent telemedicine from being fully used to the point where the full range of medical services can be provided. For example, doctor and patient resistance, poor infrastructure, lack of funding, poor system quality, and lack of information technology training were associated with the low adoption of telemedicine in the region.Conclusion This review provides a number of recommendations that will help policymakers to move toward the integration of innovative technologies in order to facilitate access to health information, health services, and training. It also recommends that health initiatives should focus on health education and health promotion in order to increase public awareness of the benefits of telemedicine services in the region.

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Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. El-Mahalli, 2012, Successes and challenges in the implementation and application of telemedicine in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia: perspectives in health information management/AHIMA, Am. Health Infor. Manag. Asso., 9
  2. Dua’A, 2013, Implementation of an EHR system (Hakeem) in Jordan: challenges and recommendations for governance, HIM-Inter. J., 3, 10
  3. Al-Moosawi, 2017, Survey study: reality check of internet and telemedicine use in Iraqi hospitals, J.Int. Soc. Telemedi.e-health, 5, e7
  4. Hussein, 2012, Telemedicine in Egypt: SWOT analysis and future trends, GMS Medizinische Informatik, Biometrie und Epidemiologie, 8
  5. Shafiei, 2015, Identifying and analyzing the barriers of telemedicine implementation in Iran, Recent Adv. Mathe. Computa. Sci..
  6. Jaber, 2015, Inferring on the factors that influence the use of telemedicine in developing countries: toward developing countries telemedicine framework, Eur. J. Sport Sci. Public Health, 2, 1
  7. Eldin, 2013, Evaluation of electronic health records adoption in Egypt, Int. J. Eng. Res. Appl. (IJERA), 3, 1131
  8. Sheikhtaheri, 2016, Awareness, attitude and readiness of in Mashhad, Iran: exploring complexity in health - an interdisciplinary systems approach, Proceedings of MIE2016, 228, 142

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Metadata

Authors
Al-Samarraie, H., Ghazal, S., Alzahrani, A. I., & Moody, L.
Affiliations
  • Universiti Sains Malaysia (MY)
  • King Saud University (SA)
  • Coventry University (GB)
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Medical Informatics
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-09
Volume
141
Pages
104232
ISSN
1386-5056 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104232
OpenAlex
W3043475309
Cited by
179
References
60
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 3
FWCI
15.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal of Medical Informatics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Pure (Coventry University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
King Saud University
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Technology Use by Older Adults
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Electronic Health Records Systems
Keywords
telemedicine, Middle East, telehealth adoption, barriers to telehealth, healthcare policy, health information technology infrastructure, health education, health promotion, digital divide, health care reform
MeSH terms
Health Promotion, Humans, Middle East, Telemedicine, Policy

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