JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted telehealth adoption among clinical nutritionists globally. However, there is a research gap in Saudi Arabia concerning telehealth's prevalence and effectiveness in dietetics practice.

Objective:

This study aims to evaluate telehealth implementation during the pandemic in Saudi Arabia.

Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, a web-based online survey was used and distributed in several Saudi Arabian regions between December 2022 to May 2023. A convenient sample of 306 clinical Registered Dietitians (RDNs) in public and private healthcare facilities who met the study’s inclusion criteria were included in this study.

Results:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, 56% of RDNs utilized telehealth, showing significant differences in socio-demographics and telehealth knowledge at healthcare facilities (p<0.05). Notable gender disparities were observed in years of experience, with 78% of male dietitians working in public hospitals (p = 0.001, p < 0.004). The main telehealth nutrition services provided included nutrition education (21%), nutrition counseling (19%), and nutrition monitoring (17%). Telenutrition purposes primarily focused on nutrition education (21%) and weight and diet management (17.15%), and management of chronic disease (14%). Common obstacles reported by RDNs using telehealth were internet connectivity issues (46%), difficulties in coordinating with patients (22%), and patient disengagement with a lack of motivation (13%). Among RDNs using telehealth, key interventions included clinical measures on diet recall (34%), weight-related measurements (31%), lab findings (26%), and those who reported using telehealth for vital signs were only (8%). Conclusion: Our findings underscore the increasing adoption of telehealth by RDNs during the pandemic, highlighting its crucial role in nutrition services. It suggests that technology enhancements and training initiatives can improve telehealth effectiveness, highlighting the need for further research in this dynamic field.

Results:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, 56% of RDNs utilized telehealth, showing significant differences in socio-demographics and telehealth knowledge at healthcare facilities (p<0.05). Notable gender disparities were observed in years of experience, with 78% of male dietitians working in public hospitals (p = 0.001, p < 0.004). The main telehealth nutrition services provided included nutrition education (21%), nutrition counseling (19%), and nutrition monitoring (17%). Telenutrition purposes primarily focused on nutrition education (21%) and weight and diet management (17.15%), and management of chronic disease (14%). Common obstacles reported by RDNs using telehealth were internet connectivity issues (46%), difficulties in coordinating with patients (22%), and patient disengagement with a lack of motivation (13%). Among RDNs using telehealth, key interventions included clinical measures on diet recall (34%), weight-related measurements (31%), lab findings (26%), and who reported using telehealth for vital signs were only (8%).

Conclusions:

Our findings underscore the increasing adoption of telehealth by RDNs during the pandemic, highlighting its crucial role in nutrition services. It suggests that technology enhancements and training initiatives can improve telehealth effectiveness, highlighting the need for further research in this dynamic field.