Journals Proceedings

Abstract

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”), geographic isolation, culture, and a unequal distribution of healthcare resources have created severe shortages in healthcare access. A large part of KSA's rural population, including women and children, expatriate workers and those with disabilities lacks access to any institutional care, lack information about healthy behaviors, and lack finances to pay for care. These factors have combined to produce an alarming growth in chronic disease among these populations in the KSA, particularly Type II Diabetes. In emerging markets like the KSA that have poorly distributed healthcare resources, but DO have widespread mobile connectivity and high mobile device penetration, an immediate solution to this challenge is mobile health. The principal aim of this study is to explore the potential for “mHealth” to impact chronic disease (diabetes) for patients in Saudi Arabia. This paper examines the role of an mHealth diabetes management app in addressing the shortcomings of healthcare access and outcomes for diabetes patients in the KSA. It further examines the optimal configuration of an mHealth app solution for diabetes management in the KSA, from the physician and patient perspectives.