The Benefits of E-Health Services and Digital Solutions Implementing e-health services and digital tools has made it possible for Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health (MOH)

The Benefits of E-Health Services and Digital Solutions Implementing e-health services and digital tools has made it possible for Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) to curb the ever-skyrocketing out-of-pocket, direct medical expenditures. This step has helped this structure meet the health standards of the Western nations, and support the Saudi Vision 2030. Due to numerous challenges, the MOH opted to invest in telemedicine to ensure that preventive and curative care is accessible to all patients regardless of their socioeconomic status. Digitization of medical services has reduced preventable deaths and morbidities attributable to long hospital waiting times. Alanzi acknowledges the high prevalence of chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular complications and diabetes in the KSA for the past few years (1946). Moreover, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed several gaps in healthcare. Al-Hanawi et al. report a decline in infant mortality rate to 6.3% from 52% per 1,000 live births and an increase in life expectancy to 74.9 from 66 years (2). Before the introduction of telehealth, individuals had to wait for hours before accessing in-person medical services or medical coverage services. Inherently, delays reduce patients’ satisfaction, obligating some of them, including those scheduled for surgery, to postpone doctor’s office visits. Surname 2 Increasing trust to hospitals was among the most critical steps. According to Fu et al., individuals who postpone surgical procedures are highly predisposed to surgical site infections (e79). The likelihood of such cases occurring in the KSA after launching the Sehhaty and Mawid websites is minimal. For instance, these applications support remote surgery, postnatal care, and care for older citizens, forming the basis of low mortality and morbidity, besides high life expectancy. In particular, by scanning a QR code embedded in patients’ medical bracelets, a healthcare practitioner can access anamnesis without duplicating laboratory tests, enhancing remote diagnosis, treatment, and referral. Therefore, dependency on technology would improve accessibility to healthcare, one of the KSA’s Vision 2030. Since realizing the recommended healthcare professional-to-patient ratio is challenging, the KSA opted to implement e-health services and use digital tools. With these technological integrations, a nurse can remotely care for many patients without experiencing burnout and exhaustion. Therefore, e-health services not only foster accessibility but also contribute to medical professionals’ physical and mental well-being. Surname 3 Works Cited Al-Hanawi, Mohammed Khaled, et al. “Healthcare Human Resource Development in Saudi Arabia: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities—A Critical Review.” Public Health Reviews, vol. 40, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-16. DOI: 10.1186/s40985-019-0112-4. Alanzi, Turki M. “Gig Health vs eHealth: Future Prospects in Saudi Arabian Health-Care System.” Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, vol. 14, 2021, pp. 1945-53. DOI: 10.2147/JMDH.S304690. Fu, Sue J., et al. “The Consequences of Delaying Elective Surgery: Surgical Perspective.” Annals of Surgery, vol. 272, no. 2, 2020, pp. e79-e80. DOI: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000003998.