Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making 1/2020

Open Access 01-12-2020 | Research article

Level of awareness of Saudi medical students of the internet-based health-related information seeking and developing to support health services

Authors: Bader Aldebasi, Abdulaziz I. Alhassan, Sami Al-Nasser, Mostafa A. Abolfotouh

Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making | Issue 1/2020

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Many studies are available in the literature about e-health in Saudi Arabia, however, data is limited to a few organizations and does not necessarily reflect the current and potential use of e-health for health care organizations in the country. This study aimed to determine the level of awareness of Saudi medical students of the internet-based health-related information seeking and developing to support health services and significant predictors of their practice.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey of 440 medical students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was conducted, during October/November 2019, using a previously validated questionnaire, to assess: (1) knowledge in three domains; e-health definition (13 statements), fields of application of e-health (8 statements), methods of using e-health (7 statements), (2) attitude toward using e-health (8 statements) and (3) reported practice of e-health in medical training (5 statements). A scoring system was used to calculate the total and percentage score of knowledge, attitude, and practice for each student. Multiple regression analysis was applied to identify predictors of e-health practice. Significance was considered at p < 0.05.

Results

Of 440 medical students, the majority were females (55.7%) and from families whose monthly income was more than 10,000SR (82.8%). Overall knowledge about e-health was unsatisfactory (percentage mean score, PMS = 71.6%), with only 43.6% of students reporting a satisfactory level. However, this level was satisfactory for fields of application (Percentage mean score-PMS = 76.6%) and unsatisfactory for the definition of e-health (PMS = 70.7%) and methods of its use (PMS = 65.7%) domains. The overall attitude towards e-health use was positive (PMS = 82.3%), with nearly three-quarters of students (73.4%) reporting a positive attitude. Generally, a good level of practice of e-health was reported by students (PMS = 84.3%), with more than three-quarters of students (78.4%) reporting good practice. Adjusting for age, gender, stream, educational grade, and family monthly income, good practice was significantly predicted with higher knowledge (t = 2.22, p = 0.03) and attitude (t = 2.11, p = 0.04) scores.

Conclusion

This study provides basic information regarding medical students’ level of awareness of internet-based health-related information seeking and developing to support health services. More resources should be directed to elevate medical students’ knowledge and to motivate them to practice e-health using the available tools.
Literature
1.
Putzer G, Park Y. The effects of innovation factors on smartphone adoption among nurses in community hospitals. Perspectives in Health Information Management, vol. 7; 2010. p. 1b.
2.
Wan Ismail W, Hong Kit P, Buhari N, Muzaini A. Acceptance of smartphone in enhancing patient-caregivers relationship. J Technol Manag Innov. 2012;7(3):71–9.CrossRef
3.
Showell C, Nohr C. How should we define eHealth, and does the definition matter? Stud Health Technol Inform. 2012;180:881–4.PubMed
4.
5.
Cunningham S, Wake D, Waller A, Morris A. Definitions of eHealth. In: Gaddi A, Capello F, Manca M, editors. eHealth, Care and Quality of Life. Milan: Springer; 2014. p. 15–30.CrossRef
6.
Gaddi A, Capello F. The debate over eHealth. In: Gaddi A, Capello F, Manca M, editors. eHealth, Care and Quality of Life. Milan: Springer; 2014. p. 1–13.CrossRef
7.
Ilic D. The role of the internet on patient knowledge management, education, and decision-making. Telemed J E-Health. 2010;16(6):664–9.CrossRef
8.
9.
10.
Al-Shorbaji N. E-health in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a decade of challenges and achievements. EMHJ-Eastern Mediterr Health J. 2008;14(Supp):S157–73.
11.
Altuwaijri MM. Supporting the Saudi e-health initiative: the Master of Health Informatics programme at KSAU-HS. East Mediterr Health J. 2010;16(1):119–24.CrossRef
12.
Altuwaijri MM, Bahanshal A, Almehaid M. Implementation of computerized physician order entry in National Guard hospitals: assessment of critical success factors. J Fam Community Med. 2011;18:143–51.CrossRef
13.
Aldosari B. Rates, levels, and determinants of electronic health record system adoption: A study of hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Int J Med Inform. 2014;83(5):330–42.CrossRef
14.
Househ MS. Islamic E-health: definitions, applications and challenges. InITCH; 2013. p. 281–5.
15.
Househ MS, Saddik B, Al-Dosari B. Development of a graduate level course in e-Health and Emerging Technology in Saudi Arabia. InITCH. 2011. p. 69–73.
16.
Alsanea N. The future of health care delivery and the experience of a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia. Annals Saudi Med. 2012;32(2):117–20.CrossRef
17.
Bah S, Alharthi H, El Mahalli AA, Jabali A, Al-Qahtani M, Al-kahtani N. Annual survey on the level and extent of usage of electronic health records in government-related hospitals in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Perspectives in health information management/AHIMA, American Health Information Management Association, vol. 8; 2011. Fall.
18.
Alshahrani A, Stewart D, MacLure K. A systematic review of the adoption and acceptance of eHealth in Saudi Arabia: views of multiple stakeholders. Int J Med Inform. 2019;128:7–17.CrossRef
19.
Youssef A, Alharthi H. Accuracy of the Charlson index comorbidities derived from a hospital electronic database in a teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia. Perspectives in Health Information Management/AHIMA, American Health Information Management Association, vol. 10; 2013. Summer.
20.
Mohamed BA, El-Naif M. Physicians’, nurses’ and patients’ perception with hospital medical records at a military hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. J Fam Community Med. 2005;12(1):49.
21.
Shaker HA, Farooq MU. Computer literacy of physicians among the hospitals of Makkah region. J Fam Community Med. 2013;20(3):173.CrossRef
22.
Mominah MA, Househ MS. Identifying computerized provider order entry (CPOE) medication errors. Inform Manag Technol Healthc. 2013;190:210.
23.
Al-Rowibah FA, Younis MZ, Parkash J. The impact of computerized physician order entry on medication errors and adverse drug events. J Health Care Finance. 2013;40(1):93–102.PubMed
24.
Al-Dorzi HM, Tamim HM, Cherfan A, Hassan MA, Taher S, Arabi YM. Impact of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system on the outcome of critically ill adult patients: a before-after study. BMC Med Info Decis Making. 2011;11(1):71.CrossRef
25.
Mominah MA, Yunus F, Househ MS. A Case Study on the Impacts of Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) System on Hospital Clinical Workflow. ICIMTH. 2013;190:207–9.
26.
Almutairi MS, Alseghayyir RM, Al-Alshikh AA, Arafah HM, Househ MS. Implementation of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) with clinical decision support (CDS) features in Riyadh hospitals to improve quality of information. Studies Health Technol Info. 2012;180:776–80.
27.
Alkadi K, Roudsari AV. Applying a methodological approach for a telecare solution in Saudi Arabia ITCH; 2011. p. 243–7.
28.
El-Mahalli AA, El-Khafif SH, Al-Qahtani MF. Successes and challenges in the implementation and application of telemedicine in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Perspectives in health information management/AHIMA, American Health Information Management Association, vol. 9; 2012. Fall.
29.
Kaliyadan F, Amin TT, Kuruvilla J, Ali WH. Mobile teledermatology--patient satisfaction, diagnostic and management concordance, and factors affecting patient refusal to participate in Saudi Arabia. J Telemed Telecare. 2013;19(6):315–9.CrossRef
30.
Almaiman A, Bahkali S, Alfrih S, Househ MS, El Metwally A. The use of health information technology in saudi primary healthcare centers. InICIMTH; 2014. p. 209–12.
31.
Al-Nasser L, Al-Ehaideb A, Househ M. Assessing the current state of dental informatics in Saudi Arabia: the new frontier. Stud Health Technol Info. 2014;202:165–8.
32.
Almaiman A, Bahkali S, Bahkali A, Almaiman S, Elmetwally A, Househ M. Electronic dental record (EDR) use in Saudi Arabia: an exploratory study. Stud Health Technol Info. 2014;202:169–72.
33.
Al Saleem N, El Metwally A, Househ MS. Electronic lab information exchange (ELIE) in Saudi Arabia. InICIMTH. 2014. p 134–7.
34.
Almazyad AS, Ahamad MG, Siddiqui MK, et al. Effective hypertensive treatment using data mining in Saudi Arabia. J Clin Monit Comput. 2010;24:391–401.CrossRef
35.
Alsulame K, Mohamed Khalifa M, Househ M. E-health status in Saudi Arabia: a review of current literature. Health Policy Technol. 2016;5(2):204–10.CrossRef
36.
Alkhatlan H, Almutairi B, El-Shazly M. Knowledge, attitude and practice of primary health care providers regarding e-health: a validation study. Greener J Med Sci. 2016;6(1):18–24.CrossRef
37.
Edirippulige S, Marasinghe RB, Smith AC, Fujisawa Y, Herath WB, Jiffry MT, Wootton R. Medical students' knowledge and perceptions of e-health: results of a study in Sri Lanka. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2007;129(Pt 2):1406–9.PubMed
38.
Islam MM, Touray M, Yang HC, Poly TN, Nguyen PA, Li YJ, Syed AS. E-Health Literacy and Health Information Seeking Behavior Among University Students in Bangladesh. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2017;245:122–5.PubMed
39.
Hersh WR, Gorman PN, Biagioli FE, Mohan V, Gold JA, Mejicano GC. Beyond information retrieval and electronic health record use: competencies in clinical informatics for medical education. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2014;5:205–12.CrossRef
40.
Hammoud MM, Margo K, Christner JG, Fisher J, Fischer SH, Pangaro LN. Opportunities and challenges in integrating electronic health records into undergraduate medical education: a national survey of clerkship directors. Teach Learn Med. 2012;24:219–24..CrossRef
41.
Neter E, Brainin E. eHealth literacy: extending the digital divide to the realm of health information. J Med Internet Res. 2012;14(1):e19.
42.
Brown CA, Dickson R. Healthcare students'e-literacy skills. J Allied Health. 2010;39(3):179–84.PubMed
43.
Tennant B, Stellefson M, Dodd V, Chaney B, Chaney D, Paige S, Alber J. eHealth literacy and Web 2.0 health information seeking behaviors among baby boomers and older adults. J Med Internet Res. 2015;17(3):e70.
44.
Powell J, Inglis N, Ronnie J, Large S. The characteristics and motivations of online health information seekers: cross-sectional survey and qualitative interview study. J Med Internet Res. 2011;13(1):e20.
45.
March CA, Steiger D, Scholl G, Mohan V, Hersh WR, Gold JA. Use of simulation to assess electronic health record safety in the intensive care unit: a pilot study. BMJ Open. 2013;3:e002549.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Level of awareness of Saudi medical students of the internet-based health-related information seeking and developing to support health services
Authors
Bader Aldebasi
Abdulaziz I. Alhassan
Sami Al-Nasser
Mostafa A. Abolfotouh
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6947
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-020-01233-8

Other articles of this Issue 1/2020

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making 1/2020 Go to the issue

Research article

360-degree Delphi: addressing sociotechnical challenges of healthcare IT

Research article

Validation of an electronic coding algorithm to identify the primary indication of orthopedic surgeries from administrative data

Research article

Efficient identification of patients eligible for clinical studies using case-based reasoning on Scottish Health Research register (SHARE)

Research article

Using creative co-design to develop a decision support tool for people with malignant pleural effusion

Research article

Assessing stroke severity using electronic health record data: a machine learning approach

Research article

How to optimize the design and implementation of risk prediction tools: focus group with patients with IgA nephropathy