Effectiveness of Virtual Home Health Care for Chronic Diseases Management: A Cross-Sectional Study Among the Saudi Population

Ebtesam A Elsayed,1,2,* Najla M Aljehani,2,* Eman M Alanazi,3,* Samiha Hamdi Sayed4,5,* 1Family and Community Health Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 2Public Health Department, College of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Health Informatics Department, College of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Community Health Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Damanhour University, ElBehira, Egypt; 5Public Health Department, College of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ebtesam A Elsayed, Public Health Department, College of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Email [email protected]: Chronic disease is a considerable public health concern in Saudi Arabia, as it affects the healthcare system and requires innovative healthcare solutions. Virtual Home Health Care (VHHC) has emerged as a promising approach in managing chronic diseases. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of VHHC in managing chronic diseases from patients’ perspectives in Saudi Arabia.Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design and a convenience sample of 517 patients with chronic diseases from various regions of Saudi Arabia (Eastern, Western, Central, Southern, and Northern Regions) who are current or former VHHC users were participated. An online, self-administered questionnaire was employed to gather patients’ demographic information, chronic disease status, experiences with VHHC, and evaluations of VHHC’s effectiveness.Results: The study revealed that the age group of 25 to 35 years represents the largest segment (39.5%) of participants, with 70% being female. The majority of participants (60.9%) held a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, half of the participants (57.4%) have had a chronic illness for more than five years. Overall, respondents held a relatively positive opinion (weighted mean of 3.89 ± 0.710) of VHHC’s effectiveness. Also, the results showed that disease duration and education level are significant predictors of VHHC effectiveness, according to the regression analysis, with disease duration exerting the greatest influence (B = 0.134, p = 0.034).Conclusion: Virtual home healthcare is a convenient experience for most participants, who are mostly satisfied with such services. However, some areas still need more improvement, which requires tailored strategies and initiatives to enhance health literacy, which is a significant predictor of effectiveness in the current study among patients with chronic diseases among patients with chronic diseases.Keywords: chronic diseases, home health care, Saudi Arabia, virtual healthcare