The Status Quo of Health Information Technology and Health Information Management Efficiency in Saudi Arabia: A Narrative Review

Abstract

The goal of this narrative literature review is to explore the current status of the reality of Health Information Technology (HIT) infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. The results of this study have indicated that poor HIT infrastructure in Saudi Arabia has exacerbated problems and retarded the adoption of electronic healthcare practices, which have suffered a reduction in technical project resources, primarily due to high costs, which occurs not only in Saudi Arabia, but also regionally and globally. Further, HIT practices in Saudi public hospitals have suffered a reduction of HIT specialists, training and awareness programs, as well as poor management. This study also revealed that the Electronic Health Record System (EHRs) implementation strategies were unsuccessful, and the National Informational Technology Plan appears too long-term and rigid. However, these unsuccessful ventures are secondary, and consequential to, a core triangle of interdependent, negative factors that persistently impede the development of the Saudi Arabian healthcare technology infrastructure, represented by: (1) an inadequate, partially dysfunctional HIT infrastructure further weakened by each implementation failure; (2) a dire shortage of suitably-qualified Health Information Management (HIM) professionals, incapable or reluctant to train application users, let alone additional staff members in their own department; (3) the failure to have implemented Health Data Standards, in accordance with International Organization for Standardization specifications.