Telehealth Role During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned from Health Care Providers in Saudi Arabia

Summary Objectives: The Yearbook of Medical Informatics is published annually by the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) and contains a selection of excellent papers on medical informatics research which have been recently published (www.yearbook.uni-hd.de). The 2003 Yearbook of Medical Informatics took as its theme the role of medical informatics for the quality of health care. In this paper, we will discuss challenges for health care, and the lessons learned from editing IMIA Yearbook 2003. Results and Conclusions: Modern information processing methodology and information and communication technology have strongly influenced our societies and health care. As a consequence of this, medical informatics as a discipline has taken a leading role in the further development of health care. This involves developing information systems that enhance opportunities for global access to health services and medical knowledge. Informatics methodology and technology will facilitate high quality of care in aging societies, and will decrease the possibilities of health care errors. It will also enable the dissemination of the latest medical and health information on the web to consumers and health care providers alike. The selected papers of the IMIA Yearbook 2003 present clear examples and future challenges, and they highlight how various sub-disciplines of medical informatics can contribute to this.

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“Recognize Our Humanity”: Immigrant Youth Voices on Health Care in Arizona’s Restrictive Political Environment

Qualitative Health Research ◽

10.1177/1049732318755580 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 498-509 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sofía Gómez ◽

Heide Castañeda

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Immigrant Youth ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Research Approach ◽

Policy Recommendations ◽

Care Providers ◽

Care Needs ◽

Action Research Approach ◽

Important Position

The “DACAmented Voices in Healthcare” project examined the intersection of restrictive immigration policies and health care via photovoice, a participatory action research approach, with immigrant youth living in Arizona, who were recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. These “DACAmented” youth took part in nine photovoice sessions exploring their health care experiences and accessibility to care using documentary photography and narratives. They poignantly illustrated their experiences through images identifying their main health concerns and strengths, facilitating the development of health policy recommendations. This article illustrates the thematic findings and discusses policy recommendations and lessons learned from presentations to policy makers and health care providers. Findings suggest that immigrant youth are knowledgeable of their family’s health care needs and hold a unique and important position within mixed-status households. Health care providers can benefit from the proposed recommendations by building bridges to care to address health equity in immigrant communities.

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Course in Prehospital Major Incidents Management for Health Care Providers in Saudi Arabia

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x18000791 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (6) ◽

pp. 587-595 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nidaa A. Bajow ◽

Wajdan I. AlAssaf ◽

Ameera A. Cluntun

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Core Competencies ◽

Wilcoxon Test ◽

Major Incident ◽

Incident Management ◽

Care Providers ◽

Post Test ◽

Major Incidents

AbstractIntroductionUnacceptable practices of health care providers during disasters have been observed because they work outside the scope of their daily practices and have inadequate training. A greater need for the involvement of health professionals in disaster management has been noted in Saudi Arabia. This study evaluates the efficacy of a training course in prehospital major incident management for health care providers in Saudi Arabia.MethodsAn interactive course for general principles in prehospital major incident management was developed with domains and core competencies. The course was designed according to the local context and was based on international standards. It was piloted over four days at the Officers Club of the Ministry of Interior (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) and was sponsored by Mohammed Bin Naif Medical Center, King Fahd Security College in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The participants (n=29) were from different disciplines from main government health facilities in Riyadh. They completed a pre-test and a post-test.ResultsThe overall score was 55.1% on the pre-test and 68.4% on the post-test (Wilcoxon test for paired samples, P <.05). Three out of the four domains had significant difference between pre- and post-test results, as well as the overall total knowledge.Conclusion:Conducting inter-disciplinary and competency-based disaster medicine courses for health care providers can augment appropriate disaster preparedness for major incidents in Saudi Arabia.BajowNA,AlAssafWI,CluntunAA.Course in prehospital major incidents management for health care providers in Saudi Arabia.Prehosp Disaster Med.2018;33(6):587–595.

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Do Health Care Providers Pay Attention to Sharing Hospital Patient Safety Incidents Through Social Media in Saudi Arabia?

Journal of Patient Safety ◽

10.1097/pts.0000000000000732 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽

Author(s):

Turki Alanzi ◽

Alhanouf Alfuraikh

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Social Media ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Patient Safety ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Hospital Patient ◽

Care Providers ◽

Patient Safety Incidents

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The Impact of an Educational Program on Enhancing Knowledge towards Drug Addiction among Health Care Providers in Saudi Arabia

ATHENS JOURNAL OF HEALTH & MEDICAL SCIENCES ◽

10.30958/ajhms.6-3-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 157-166

Author(s):

Najla J. Alhraiwil ◽

Razan A. AlYoussef ◽

Nora K. AlShlash ◽

Samar A. Amer ◽

Nashwa M. Radwan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Drug Addiction ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Educational Program ◽

Care Providers ◽

The Impact

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Provision of Virtual Outpatient Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: Enabling Factors and Experiences from the UBC Pharmacists Clinic

INNOVATIONS in pharmacy ◽

10.24926/iip.v11i4.3432 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 7

Author(s):

Jillian Reardon ◽

Jamie Yuen ◽

Timothy Lim ◽

Richard Ng ◽

Barbara Gobis

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Patient Care ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Care Providers ◽

Enabling Factors ◽

High Satisfaction ◽

Technological Barriers

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an unprecedented level of interest in, and uptake of, technology-enabled virtual health care delivery as clinicians seek ways to safely care for patients with physical distancing. This paper describes the UBC Pharmacists Clinic’s technical systems and lessons learned using enabling technology and the provision of virtual patient care by pharmacists. Of 2036 scheduled appointments at the clinic in 2019, only 1.5% of initial appointments were conducted virtually which increased to 64% for follow-up appointments. Survey respondents (n = 18) indicated an overall high satisfaction with the format, quality of care delivery, ease of use and benefits to their overall health. Other reports indicate that the majority of patients would like the option to book appointments electronically, email their healthcare provider, and have telehealth visits, although a small minority (8%) have access to virtual modes of care. The Clinic team is bridging the technology gap to better align virtual service provision with patient preferences. Practical advice and information gained through experience are shared here. As the general population and health care providers become increasingly comfortable with video conferencing as a result of COVID-19, it is anticipated that requests for video appointments will increase, technological barriers will decrease and conditions will enable providers to increase their virtual care capabilities. Lessons learned at the Clinic have application to pharmacists in both out-patient and in-patient care settings. Article Type: Clinical Experience

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Health care providers’ perceptions regarding antimicrobial stewardship programs (AMS) implementation—facilitators and challenges: a cross-sectional study in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia

Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials ◽

10.1186/s12941-019-0325-x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mohamed A. Baraka ◽

Hassan Alsultan ◽

Taha Alsalman ◽

Hussain Alaithan ◽

Md. Ashraful Islam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Information Resources ◽

Care Providers ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Eastern Province ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Internal Policy

Abstract Background Infections result from invasions of an organism into body tissues leading to diseases and complications that might eventually lead to death. Inappropriate use of antimicrobials has led to development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which has been associated with increased mortality, morbidity and health costs. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs are designed to ensure appropriate selections of an effective antimicrobial drugs and optimizing antibiotic use to minimize antibiotic resistance by implementing certain policies, strategies and guidelines. The aim of this study was to investigate practitioners’ perceptions regarding AMS implementation and to identify challenges and facilitators of these programs execution. Methods Cross-sectional study among health care providers in Eastern province of Saudi Arabia Hospitals. The data was collected using a survey including questions about demographic data and information about clinicians’ (physicians, pharmacists and nurses) previous experience with AMS and prescribing of antibiotics, the level of knowledge and attitudes regarding AMS programs’ implementation. Results More than 50% of clinicians (N = 184) reported lack of awareness of AMS programs and their components, whereas 71.2% do not have previous AMS experience. The majority of clinicians (72.3%) noticed increasing number of AMR infections over the past 5 years and (69.6%) were involved in care of patients with an antibiotic-resistant infection. Around 77.2% of respondents reported that formulary management can be helpful for AMS practice and majority of respondents (79.9%) reported that the availability of pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibility testing can be helpful for AMS. Major barriers to AMS implementation identified were lack of internal policy/guidelines and specialized AMS information resources. Lack of administrative awareness about AMS programs; lack of personnel, time limitation, limited training opportunities, lack of confidence, financial issue or limited funding and lack of specialized AMS information resources were also reported 65.8%, 62.5%, 60.9%, 73.9%, 50%, 54.3 and 74.5%, respectively. Conclusion Our study identified comprehensive education and training needs for health care providers about AMS programs. Furthermore, it appears that internal policy and guidelines need revision to ensure that the health care providers work consistently with AMS. Future research must focus on the benefit of implementing AMS as many hospitals are not implementing AMS as revealed by the clinicians. We recommend policy makers and concerned health authorities to consider the study findings into account to optimize AMS implementation.

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