Search Results (3)

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) applications play a crucial role in enhancing healthcare accessibility, patient engagement, and chronic disease management. However, technical, usability, accessibility, and privacy-related barriers continue to hinder their widespread adoption. The Sehaty app, a government-managed mHealth platform in Saudi Arabia, is widely used for scheduling medical appointments, accessing health records, and communicating with healthcare providers. Understanding the challenges associated with its utilization is essential for optimizing its functionality and improving user experience. Aim: This study aims to identify and evaluate the key barriers affecting the adoption and usability of the Sehaty mHealth application among patients with chronic conditions in Saudi Arabia. Specifically, it examines challenges related to technical performance, usability, accessibility, privacy, and security and their impact on user satisfaction and engagement. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire distributed to 344 participants selected through purposive sampling to ensure the inclusion of active Sehaty users with chronic conditions. The questionnaire assessed 10 primary usability barriers, including technical issues, navigation difficulties, privacy concerns, and accessibility limitations. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the prevalence and interrelationships of these barriers. Results: The findings indicate that technical barriers, including frequent application crashes, slow responsiveness, and system instability, significantly hinder user satisfaction. Usability challenges, such as difficulties in navigation and task completion, further impede engagement. Moreover, privacy and security concerns emerged as significant deterrents, with users expressing apprehensions about data safety and transparency. Accessibility barriers, particularly for older adults and individuals with disabilities, were associated with insufficient support and training, making the app less user-friendly for these populations. The study highlights the interconnected nature of usability challenges, suggesting that improvements in technical stability and interface design could lead to enhanced user confidence, engagement, and overall satisfaction. Conclusions: Addressing these barriers requires targeted technical enhancements, user-centered design improvements, and strengthened data security measures to promote trust and engagement. Additionally, implementing comprehensive user support systems and accessibility features is essential to ensuring equitable access to mHealth services. While the study’s generalizability is limited by its focus on a single government-managed platform, its findings offer valuable insights applicable to broader mHealth initiatives. Future research should incorporate longitudinal studies to assess the long-term impact of usability improvements on mHealth adoption and healthcare outcomes. Full article

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) applications have transformed healthcare delivery by enhancing accessibility, patient monitoring, and clinician communication. Despite these advantages, significant barriers hinder their adoption among healthcare practitioners, limiting their effectiveness in primary care settings. Understanding these barriers is crucial for optimizing mHealth integration into healthcare systems. Aim: This study examines healthcare practitioners’ perceptions of barriers to mHealth application adoption, with a focus on the Sehaty app (version 1.3) in Saudi Arabia. It aims to identify key challenges, assess their impact on user engagement and system efficiency, and provide insights for enhancing digital health implementation. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 409 primary healthcare practitioners using the Sehaty app. The study employed a structured questionnaire assessing ten major barriers to mHealth adoption, including technical, usability, privacy, and integration challenges. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, t-tests, and correlation analyses were performed to examine differences across demographic groups and relationships among identified barriers. Results: Findings revealed that technical and usability challenges were the most significant barriers, with system compatibility (Mean = 3.64), slow performance (Mean = 3.43), and excessive task complexity (Mean = 3.45) among the most cited issues. Training and support limitations (Mean = 3.28) and workflow integration difficulties (Mean = 3.24) further hindered adoption. Correlation analysis indicated weak interdependencies among barriers, suggesting that targeted interventions addressing specific concerns may be more effective. ANOVA results showed that digital literacy significantly influenced perceptions of communication barriers (p = 0.046), while gender differences in usability and productivity constraints were marginally significant. Conclusions: The study underscores the necessity for improved system interoperability, user-centered design, and enhanced technical support to promote mHealth adoption. Addressing these challenges through strategic policy initiatives and infrastructure improvements is essential for fostering a more integrated and effective digital healthcare ecosystem. Full article

Ending the COVID-19 pandemic requires achieving herd immunity, either by previous infection or by vaccination. However, concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine are growing around the globe. The current study was conducted to investigate young the adult population’s hesitancy towards the vaccine. The study used a prospective cross-sectional design. Data was collected using an online self-administered questionnaire. A total of 862 Saudi adults participated. Information was gathered on the participants’ perspectives towards the severity and susceptibility of the COVID-19 infection, reasons for their hesitancy to receive the vaccine, perceived benefits, and reasons for action. Just under a quarter (19.6%) of respondents had previously tested positive for COVID-19. A small minority of the participants had already received the vaccine (2.1%), while 20.3% had registered in the Sehaty app (application) to receive the vaccine. Just under half of them (48%) will take the vaccine when mass vaccination is achieved and approximately the same number (46.7%) will only take it if it is made mandatory. Vaccine reluctance is highly prevalent among the general public in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many are aware of a high likelihood of getting the infection, the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccine were reported as barriers to vaccination. Full article