The impact of covid-19 on the prevalence and perception of telehealth use in the middle east and north africa region: Survey study

3^rd International Conference on Ehealth Networking, Application And Services

September 18-19, 2023 | Webinar

Khalid Adnan Shamiyah

University of Toronto, Canada

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Health Med Informat

Abstract :

The COVID-19 pandemic has made telehealth a safer option for accessing healthcare services. Telehealth has become increasingly popular in recent years, but its prevalence and patient acceptability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are not well understood. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of telehealth use and perceptions of telehealth in the MENA region before and during the pandemic.The study used an Instagram account that reached 130,000 individuals daily to administer a survey on telehealth use and attitudes towards it during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 1,524 respondents participated in the survey, with 97.6% living in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Before the pandemic, 88.6% of respondents had no exposure to telehealth. Following the pandemic, telehealth use increased by 251% to a total of 611 users (40% of all users). Specialist visits were the most common use for telehealth (89% of users). Of those who used telehealth, 36.8% were willing to continue using it, 37.5% were unsure, and 25.5% did not want to use it after the pandemic. A small inverse trend was observed between willingness to continue using telehealth and the number of medical comorbidities. Respondents who used both messaging and phone calls for telehealth were less likely to recommend it.Overall, the study found that telehealth use increased significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic and was generally satisfactory among young adults on Instagram. However, further innovation is needed to increase the acceptability and willingness to continue using telehealth for healthcare delivery in the MENA region. Telehealth has the potential to improve access to healthcare services and increase patient satisfaction, but more research is needed to understand how to make it more widely acceptable and effective.

Biography :

Khalid Adnan Shamiyah started his academic career at the University of Toronto, Canada, where he obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biochemistry and Medicinal Chemistry, respectively. Upon completing his degrees, Khalid concluded that both research and medicine share the same end goal: improving human health. Khalid went on to complete his medical training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.