Evidence mapPaperPMID 41160613Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Perceived ease of use of telehealth services and associated factors in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

Anis Ben Ghorbal, Ibrahim Elbatal, Abdel-Rahman Aldukeel, Abdelhamid Elshabrawy, Sarah Assem Ibrahim, Niveen Ibrahim Aly El-Zayat, Samah Zakaria, Heba Ahmed Abd El-Wahab, Dina Mohsen Sabry, Thuraya Elsayed and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Anis Ben GhorbalDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ibrahim ElbatalDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abdel-Rahman AldukeelDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abdelhamid ElshabrawyBiostatistics and Demography Department, Faculty of Graduate Studies for Statistical Research, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
Sarah Assem IbrahimBiostatistics and Demography Department, Faculty of Graduate Studies for Statistical Research, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
Niveen Ibrahim Aly El-ZayatDepartment of Statistics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Egypt.
Samah ZakariaDepartment of Statistics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Egypt.
Heba Ahmed Abd El-WahabDepartment of Statistics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Egypt.
Dina Mohsen SabryDepartment of Statistics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Egypt.
Thuraya ElsayedDepartment of Statistics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Egypt.
Suzan Abdel-RahmanBiostatistics and Demography Department, Faculty of Graduate Studies for Statistical Research, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5779-0926
Hatem SemaryDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This paper aimed to explore the impact of disability along with other factors on telehealth usage, examining the degree of ease people feel while using telehealth services in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study collected data from 428 Saudi adult participants via an online survey between October and November 2024. The Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model was adopted to design the questionnaire. The paper utilized the binary Logistic Regression and the random forest algorithm to predict the participants' attitudes towards the ease of using Telehealth services. The ease of use of the telehealth system was assessed using the effort expectancy index, which measures participants' perceptions about feasibility, clarity, simplicity, and comfort related to the usage of telehealth services. The results showed perceptions supporting the ease of using telehealth services decreased for disabled individuals by 80% (p = 0.04) compared to non-disabled individuals. In contrast, availability of facilitating conditions (OR=9.18, p < 0.001), performance expectancy (OR=4.70, p = 0.006), perceived safety (OR=3.33, p = 0.044), and social influence (OR=3.82, p = 0.016) were positively and significantly associated with perceived ease of use. The presence of perceived barriers also had a positive effect (OR=3.62, p = 0.024). The random forest algorithm outperformed logistic regression in terms of classification accuracy and AUC (0.774 versus 0.758 in the test set). Classification models indicated that factors related to telehealth technology were the most influential in perceptions of ease of use. These findings underscore the need for policymakers to develop inclusive telehealth strategies that specifically address barriers faced by disabled individuals, ensuring equitable and accessible digital health services for all.

Indexed as

Patient Acceptance of Health CarePersons with DisabilitiesTelemedicineAdolescentAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSaudi ArabiaSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID41160613
PMCPMC12571244

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.