Telemedicine Adoption: Challenges, Laws, and Ethics in KSA

This discussion post examines the challenges and barriers to the adoption of telemedicine in Saudi Arabia, focusing on the strategic importance of eHealth initiatives. It highlights key obstacles such as financial support, conformity with healthcare facility requirements, and service compensation. The paper also explores the role of informed consent within the cultural context of Saudi Arabia, addressing ethical and legal challenges related to rising healthcare demands, expert shortages, and the influx of pilgrims. The author proposes solutions, including a national telemedicine license and cross-state consultations, to improve healthcare access and quality. References include studies on telemedicine applications, cyber harassment, and law enforcement practices related to public health issues.

Running head: CIVIL LAW 0
health care ethics
APRIL 8, 2019
STUDENT DETAILS:

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Notwithstanding, developing evidence in respect of the advantages of telemedicine, there
are various challenges, issues, and obstacles in the adoption of the telemedicine. The
implementation of telemedicine is frequently mentioned as the failed task. The reason is that
seventy-five per cent of them are unrestrained. In developing nations, the ratio is increased to
ninety per cent (Ward, Jaana, & Natafgi, 2015). There are three major obstacles and
challenges in the adoption and implementation of telemedicine by the Healthcare Facilities
decision maker. These are mentioned below-
1. The accessibility of proper viable financial support to adopt, follow, execute and keep
the telemedicine system
2. Making sure the conformism of the telemedicine service with central vision, mission,
requirements and limitations of the Healthcare Facilities
3. The compensation for the services related to telemedicine
In Saudi Arabia, eHealth has recognised as the strategic aim of the ministry. Various
issues and challenges recognised in the review can be stated by developing the independent
body in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) that can review healthcare service and push for the
improvement in effectiveness and excellence of the care (Flodgren, et. al, 2015).
Further, the informed consent is described as the independent action by the patients or
research matter to specifically allow the specialised individual to execute the medical act on
patients or to involve the individual in the research project. This is significant to have the
knowledge in respect of a few things regarding the cultural framework as this contributes to
inconsistencies or differences between the Saudi conviction and western secular concept of
informed consent. The governance in the written form does not vary substantially from the
western one. The written material's implementation is not similar. The Saudi personalities
pose the challenges to the distinctive independent concept that addressed the idea of informed

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consent. The ethical and legal challenges involve enhancing demand for the healthcare
service joined with the rise in a cost, deficiency of healthcare experts, altering forms of the
disease, the important annual pilgrim inhabitants, the increase in medical mistakes and long
waiting period. A key policy being adopted as the part of the 9th development plan in
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with regard to the health service, is a requirement to adopt
methods to improve quality of care, and to apply these methods across all health sector to
make sure that proper level of efficiency and quality are attained (Straily & Trevino‐Garrison,
2017).
To resolve the challenges, telemedicine will permit the cross-state consultation that will
permit experts to assist more patients. There should be a national telemedicine license. The
cash and time invested in permitting the physician credential for telemedicine may be used to
train the team of hospital and onboard patients instead. Grants from government and
organization such as the USDA can only do so much to help with the application of
telemedicine, specifically while the grant is dedicated to particular initiative (Moafa, et. al,
2018).

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References
Flodgren, G., Rachas, A., Farmer, A. J., Inzitari, M., & Shepperd, S. (2015). Interactive
telemedicine: effects on professional practice and health care outcomes. Cochrane
Database of Systematic Reviews, (9).
Moafa, F. A., Ahmad, K., Al-Rahmi, W. M., Alias, N., & Obaid, M. A. M. (2018).
FACTORS FOR MINIMIZING CYBER HARASSMENT AMONG UNIVERSITY
STUDENTS: CASE STUDY IN KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA (KSA). Journal
of Theoretical & Applied Information Technology, 96(6).
Straily, A., & Trevino‐Garrison, I. (2017). Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Law
Enforcement Officers on Rabies and Animal Control Issues in Kansas. Zoonoses and
public health, 64(2), 111-117.
Ward, M. M., Jaana, M., & Natafgi, N. (2015). A systematic review of telemedicine
applications in emergency rooms. international journal of medical informatics, 84(9),
601-616.