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 accessAbstract
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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Telemedicine use in Sub-Saharan Africa: Barriers and policy recommendations for Covid-19 and beyond
Dodoo, J. E., Al-Samarraie, H., & Alzahrani, A. I. (2021) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2021.104467 · Cited by 125
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Utility of telemedicine in sub‐Saharan Africa during the COVID ‐19 pandemic. A rapid review
Chitungo, I., Mhango, M., Mbunge, E., Dzobo, M., Musuka, G., & Dzinamarira, T. (2021) · Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies · doi:10.1002/hbe2.297 · Cited by 98
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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)
- Venue
- International Journal of Medical Informatics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-09
- Volume
- 141
- Pages
- 104232
- ISSN
- 1386-5056 (ISSN-L)
- 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
- bronze
- doi.org
- 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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