Utilization of teleradiology services for healthcare delivery in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Teleradiology, an innovative and disruptive technology, has demonstrated a track record in enhancing remote healthcare delivery in multiple clinical and healthcare settings. With the aim of understanding the impact of teleradiology on healthcare delivery in Saudi Arabia, a retrospective descriptive study was carried out between January 2014 and January 2024. Over the 10 years, 103,730 scans were transmitted for interpretation, thus providing consistent remote healthcare delivery in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The highest category of scans was computed tomography (45.96%), followed by radiographs (40.27%), magnetic resonance imaging (9.06%), mammograms (4.17%), ultrasound (0.53%), and nuclear medicine (NM) (0.01%). For the study, global turnaround time (TAT) was calculated as the interval between submission of examination to the time report available online, and/or verbal confirmation of results, with a mean time of 19.48 h (95% confidence interval: 19.39-19.56), which is seminal under teleradiology in KSA. The outcomes reflect the use of teleradiology across different clinical locations and the criticality of care, whereas TAT was within accepted local and global standards. Previously published value-addition of teleradiology includes after-hours coverage and use during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of KSA, teleradiology using public-private partnership model supports equitable access to underserved areas while maintaining TAT, aligned with KSA Vision 2030 healthcare goals. The current study postulates that teleradiology connectivity may help complement on-site radiologists, optimize and enhance workflow, provide on-demand staffing solutions for ever-growing radiology examinations, while incremental use of round-the-clock subspecialists can help in second opinions, and address quality assurance, such as peer review, all aiding improved healthcare outcomes in KSA hospitals.

Keywords

Teleradiology / Radiology / Healthcare / Global turnaround time / Saudi Arabia / KSA Vision 2030

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