THE ROLE OF HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN IMPROVING EMERGENCY CASE MANAGEMENT IN SAUDI ARABIA
Main Article Content
Keywords
Role, Health, Information, Technology, Improving, Emergency, Case, Management
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of Health Information Technology (HIT) on emergency department (ED) operations across 60 hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Focusing on systems such as Electronic Health Records (EHR), Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS), and Health Information Exchange (HIE), the research evaluates their influence on key outcomes including patient wait times, treatment efficiency, mortality rates, patient satisfaction, and staff experiences. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and t-tests revealed significant associations between HIT usage and improved ED performance, such as reduced wait times and mortality, and increased patient and staff satisfaction. The findings suggest that effective HIT implementation, especially when paired with strong staff training and low system downtime, contributes to better emergency care outcomes. However, the study also notes limitations, including the absence of non-HIT hospitals for comparison and a limited sample size. The results support a national push toward broader HIT adoption and integration to strengthen emergency services across the country.
Downloads
References
[1] Infoway C.H. Integrating digital health into the health care experience. 2020 [cited 2022 January 1]; Available from: https://www.infoway-inforoute.ca/en/ (accessed 28 July 2022). [2] Wiederhold B.K., et al. Intervention for physician burnout: a systematic review. Open Medicine, 2018; 13: 253–263. [3] Dhingra D., Dabas A. Global strategy on digital health. Indian Pediatrics, 2020; 57: 356–358. [4] Baltaxe E., et al. Digital health transformation of integrated care in Europe: overarching analysis of 17 integrated care programs. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2019; 21: e14956. [5] Sust P.P., et al. Turning the crisis into an opportunity: digital health strategies deployed during the COVID-19 outbreak. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 2020; 6: e19106. [6] Almalki M., Fitzgerald G., Clark M. Health care system in Saudi Arabia: an overview. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2011; 17: 784–793. [7] Yusuf N. Private and public healthcare in Saudi Arabia: future challenges. International Journal of Business and Economic Development, 2014; 2(2): 114–118. [8] Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia. HSTP Guide. 2019 [cited 2021 January 1]; Available from: https://www.moh.gov.sa/en/Ministry/vro/Pages/manual.aspx [9] Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia. 937 Services. 2018 [cited 2020 January 27]; Available from: https://www.moh.gov.sa/en/937/Pages/default.aspx [10] Alharbi M.F. An analysis of the Saudi healthcare system’s readiness to change in the context of the Saudi National Health-care Plan in Vision 2030. International Journal of Health Sciences, 2018; 12: 83–87. [11] Al Shouli S., Mechael P.N. The state of Saudi digital health by the global digital health Index. Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine, 2019; 171: 8. [12] Aljohani A. (2018). An investigation into the impacts of adopting HIT-related EHRs/EMRs on Saudi healthcare systems among private and public hospitals: A comparative analysis [Doctoral dissertation, Dublin City University]. [13] Alyami A.A. (2018). Smart e-Health system for real-time tracking and monitoring of patients, staff and assets for healthcare decision support in Saudi Arabia [Doctoral dissertation, Staffordshire University]. Staffordshire University Repository. https://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/id/eprint/4728 [14] Alharbi M.A. (n.d.). The status quo of health information technology and health information management efficiency in Saudi Arabia: A narrative review. [15] Alsalman D., Alumran A., Alrayes S., Althumairi A., Almubarak S., Alrawiai S., Alakrawi Z., Hariri B., & Alanzi T. (2021). Implementation status of health information systems in hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Informatics in Medicine Unlocked, 22, 100499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imu.2020.100499 [16] Almansour M.M., Al-mansour H.M.S., Almansour F.H.H., Al-Yami H.H.S., Almansour H.H., Almansour S.H., Almansour S.H.S., Almansour M.H., Al Hannan H.H.S., Alshaman F.N., & Almaqbul M.S. (2024). The role of health technology in improving healthcare services in Saudi Arabia. [17] Al-Kahtani N., Alrawiai S., & Alumran A. (2022). Digital health transformation in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional analysis using Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s digital health indicators. Digital Health, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221117742 [18] Ogundaini O.O., de la Harpe R., McLean N. Integration of mHealth information and communication technologies into the clinical settings of hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa: qualitative study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2021; 9: e26358.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Transfer of Copyright and Permission to Reproduce Parts of Published Papers.
Authors retain the copyright for their published work. No formal permission will be required to reproduce parts (tables or illustrations) of published papers, provided the source is quoted appropriately and reproduction has no commercial intent. Reproductions with commercial intent will require written permission and payment of royalties.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.