Abstract

THE ROLE OF HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN IMPROVING EMERGENCY CASE MANAGEMENT IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abeer Abdu Alasiri*, Huda H. Almutairi, Raghad Alzahrani, Samar A. Madani, Sumaya A. Almefleh, Munirah F. Alatwis

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the impact of Health Information Technology (HIT) on emergency department (ED) operations across 60 hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Focusing on systems such as Electronic Health Records (EHR), Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS), and Health Information Exchange (HIE), the research evaluates their influence on key outcomes including patient wait times, treatment efficiency, mortality rates, patient satisfaction, and staff experiences. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and t-tests revealed significant associations between HIT usage and improved ED performance, such as reduced wait times and mortality, and increased patient and staff satisfaction. The findings suggest that effective HIT implementation, especially when paired with strong staff training and low system downtime, contributes to better emergency care outcomes. However, the study also notes limitations, including the absence of non-HIT hospitals for comparison and a limited sample size. The results support a national push toward broader HIT adoption and integration to strengthen emergency services across the country.

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