The Experience and Satisfaction of Physicians with Electronic Health Systems in Healthcare Establishments in Jazan, Saudi Arabia

PURPOSE: The Saudi Ministry of Health’s electronic health (e-health) initiative aims to promote the higher use of electronic medical records and has established multiple health applications to facilitate access to healthcare. The current investigation measured the satisfaction and experience of physicians concerning e-health systems and identified the factors associated with their satisfaction level. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional investigation targeting physicians working in primary healthcare centers and hospitals in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire between July and September 2022, which was distributed via online platforms. The questionnaire included sections measuring the physicians’ demographic data and their experiences with e-health systems, including information technology (IT) support, training, software design, workload, physician and patient support, and data quality. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests were used to assess associations between physicians’ satisfaction levels and the measured demographics. RESULTS: A total of 445 physicians participated in the current investigation. The median age of the participants was 27, and more than half (58.4%) were male. The median level of the satisfaction score was 4 and varied between –30 (indicating the lowest satisfaction level) and 23 (indicating the highest satisfaction level). Employment rank and work settings were statistically associated with the level of satisfaction (P values < 0.05). The participating physicians were overall satisfied with the e-health systems’ impact on their clinical workflow and ability to reduce their work hours but were less satisfied with the training required to use these systems. CONCLUSION: A good overall satisfaction level with the established e-health systems in the Jazan region was detected. Senior physicians and physicians working in primary healthcare settings exhibited lower satisfaction levels, indicating a need for further investigations to identify the challenges of using e-health systems in these settings, especially among senior physicians.