Page 48 - SAMENA Trends - April 2020

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Telemedicine on the Rise in Saudi Arabia Amid Pandemic

In response to the elevated risk level from the coronavirus the restrictions in place to limit the spread of COVID-19, such as
disease (COVID-19) pandemic, various hospitals in Saudi Arabia quarantine, can be stressful for some people. Patients feel more
have accelerated telemedicine health services, offering secure connected and reassured because they can see their doctors, who
and virtual face-to-face interactions with doctors. Patients can can pick up on non-verbal communication cues and are able to
now easily access medical consultations from the comfort of “express sympathy and empathy, unlike via telephone or email,”
their homes. The telemedicine services have come handy at a Dr. Yaseen added. Dr. Al-Jishi told Arab News: “Tele-psychiatry
time when the Kingdom is fighting the COVID-19, and physical began in the 1950s when teleconferencing was used for group
distancing is the norm to break the virus’s spread. Individuals therapy and consultation liaison psychiatry. In the 1990s, video
can book their appointments with their hospital’s doctors using visits spread further to provide psychiatric care in underserved
various communication channels, including their call center areas around the world. In the decades since, studies have shown
number, website, and mobile apps. Speaking to Arab News, Dr. ‘telehealth’ options to be equivalent to in-person psychiatric
Shaikh Abdullah said: “During this global pandemic, telemedicine care in diagnostic accuracy, treatment and effectiveness.” Video
is emerging as an effective and sustainable solution for prevention visits provide a secure, safe, face-to-face, model of psychiatric
and treatment to contain the spread of COVID-19.” Specialists intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added. “Our
speak to patients over an audio/video call and advise necessary personal experience so far is very positive, but we will need some
courses of treatments or investigations required, and medicines time to fully assess the benefit in Saudi culture. With that said, I
can be collected or are delivered to homes. In response to the think it is very promising; I am optimistic that it will be an important
public health emergency, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, option for our patient psychiatric care in the future,” he said.
Dhahran (JHAH) has accelerated the launch of primary care and
psychiatric video sessions. Since March, JHAH’s primary care
physician, Dr. Nisar Ul-Islam Yaseen, and Chief of Psychiatry
and Mental Health Services Dr. Abdulsamad Al-Jishi, have been
connecting with patients using MyChart, the patient portal that
is part of the hospital’s electronic medical record. Dr. Yaseen
told Arab News: “I found that video visits, when compared to the
alternative of a telephone appointment, offer a valuable extra
communication modality. “By being able to see the patient, you
can improve the quality of the clinical assessment. For example,
when a patient complained their asthma symptoms were currently
troublesome, without being able to see him, I would have asked
him to come to the clinic for a fuller physical assessment. “But
with the video visit, I could see that the patient wasn’t in any
respiratory distress, looked well and had no difficulty breathing,
so I could make a better judgment and develop a more appropriate
management plan, which did not require him to attend the
hospital.” Video calls have additional benefits for the patients, as

3.9 Million Internet Users in Oman

The number of Internet users in Oman uses the Internet and more than a third explained that the number of Facebook
is around 3.9 million, according to the use Facebook. It said that among the 420 users in GCC is 35.9 million, and Twitter
seventh report for the Internet in the Arab million Arab citizens, the number of Internet users are about 16.55 million. It pointed
world. The report published by the Arabic users exceeds 220 million, and about 159 out that the number of Internet users in
Network for Human Rights Information million are Facebook users. It pointed out Egypt is 55 million people, which is slightly
(ANHRI) added that the number of that the number of Internet users in the more than half of the population, among
Facebook users in the Sultanate is about GCC is about 51.1 million people, including them 46 million are using Facebook, and
1.6 million people, and Twitter users are 3.9 million in Oman, 30 million in Saudi 7.5 million are using Twitter.
about 200,000. The report stated that more Arabia, 9.5 million in UAE, 4.1 million in
than half of the Arab world’s population Kuwait, and 2.1 million in Qatar. The report

48 APRIL 2020