Primary Care Physician's Perception and Satisfaction With Telehealth in the National Guard Primary Healthcare Centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2022

Background Telehealth is a tool to facilitate the connection between patients and their healthcare providers. With the recent emergence of telehealth, implementation of this service in primary healthcare centers (PHCs) has been accompanied by specific challenges despite the high levels of satisfacti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2023-03, Vol.15 (3), p.e36480-e36480
Main Authors: Wali, Razaz, Shakir, Murug, Jaha, Afnan, Alhumaidah, Reem, Jamaluddin, Huda A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Demographics
Electronic health records
Family/General Practice
Health care
Healthcare Technology
Medical records
Military reserves
Pandemics
Patient satisfaction
Physicians
Primary care
Telemedicine
Text messaging
Video teleconferencing
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Summary:Background Telehealth is a tool to facilitate the connection between patients and their healthcare providers. With the recent emergence of telehealth, implementation of this service in primary healthcare centers (PHCs) has been accompanied by specific challenges despite the high levels of satisfaction reported. This study aimed to assess the factors that affect clinicians' perceptions and satisfaction with telehealth in National Guard PHCs to help explore and overcome any barriers and challenges. Methods A cross-sectional survey was distributed among primary healthcare physicians using virtual clinics in the National Guard PHCs in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 2022. A validated questionnaire from previous literature was used to evaluate clinicians' perceptions and satisfaction with telehealth. Results The study included 53 primary healthcare physicians, with an overall response rate of 90%. Most physicians (77%) were satisfied with their overall experience with offering virtual visits. Nevertheless, 72% of physicians perceived patients' limited technical knowledge, and 70% considered limited access to technology a significant barrier against virtual visits. Higher satisfaction levels were significantly associated with those who did not consider the lack of integration of virtual visits with current workflow or electronic medical records (EMRs) a significant barrier to conducting virtual visits ( -value = 0.005). Conclusion Despite the undeniable advantages of telehealth, barriers, and challenges remain extant and can influence clinicians' satisfaction. Continuous monitoring for improvements is needed to enhance the telehealth experience.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.36480