JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Telehealth plays a key role in supporting healthcare systems and influencing methods of healthcare delivery. Government laws and medical operating protocols have been largely modified to provide remote care in order to reduce social contact and ensure a safer patient environment. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the Ministry of Health (MOH) introduced several forms of telemedicine as alternatives to face-to face consultations in clinical settings.

Objective:

This study aims to assess the awareness and utilization of telephone-health services before and during COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods:

In this longitudinal study, we compared the awareness and utilization of 937-telephone health services (i.e., toll-free telephone service to provide medical and administrative healthcare services at any time for the population) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in KSA. Using a convenience sampling technique, a validated online questionnaire was distributed via social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp) at two points, before (February 2019) and during (May 2020) the pandemic.

Results:

The study sample was comprised of a total of 1,961 participants who completed the questionnaire before (N = 1,303; 66%) and during (N = 658; 33%) the pandemic. Both awareness (before: 46% vs. during: 78%) and utilization (before: 42% vs. during: 48%) of the 937-telephone health services increased significantly during the pandemic (P < .0001). No statistical association of the awareness or utilization of 937-telephone health services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was found to participant’s age or education or to whether they had children or any chronic diseases.

Conclusions:

Findings showed significant increases in the awareness and utilization of 937-telephone health services during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting an increase in public acceptance of the service and providing evidence of equitable telemedicine service for the population. Further research is needed to provide a deeper understanding of the barriers and facilitators to use of 937-telephone health services for different groups of the population.