Telehealth adoption and use intentions among neurologists in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Background: Telehealth has increasingly been integrated into neurological practice worldwide, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite national efforts to expand telehealth services in Saudi Arabia, evidence on neurologists' telehealth use, attitudes, and intentions to adopt telehealth in routine practice remains limited. Methods: < 0.05 set as the criterion for statistical significance. Results: < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that familiarity with telehealth (OR = 32.0, 95% CI: 8-126), positive attitudes toward follow-up care (OR = 21.0, 95% CI: 7-63), and institutional provision of audio services (OR = 4.84, 95% CI: 1.48-15) were strongly associated with the intention to use telehealth. Conclusion: Most surveyed neurologists reported a high intention to use telehealth. Confidence in telehealth was higher for follow-up care than for new-patient consultations. Overall attitudes toward telehealth were moderately positive and were significantly associated with the intention to use the service. Familiarity with telehealth, positive attitudes toward follow-up care, and institutional provision of audio services were identified as significant independent factors associated with telehealth adoption. These findings underscore the importance of individual and organizational factors in shaping neurologists' willingness to adopt telehealth, suggesting that targeted strategies to enhance adoption should focus on increasing familiarity, promoting positive attitudes, and ensuring institutional support.