Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Sep;54(3):255-267.
doi: 10.1177/18333583241300534. Epub 2024 Dec 11.

Physicians' acceptance and adoption of mobile health applications during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: Extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model

Sultan Alsahli  1   2 , Su-Yin Hor  1 , Mary K Lam  3
Affiliations

Physicians' acceptance and adoption of mobile health applications during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: Extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model

Sultan Alsahli et al. Health Inf Manag. 2025 Sep.

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role of mobile health applications in the management of health crises. Despite the promising outcomes of these technologies, however, their acceptance and use among physicians in the developing world such as Saudi Arabia are notably low. Objective: The study aimed to explore the factors influencing the acceptance and adoption of mobile health applications by physicians in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The study employed a qualitative research method, guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The study collected data through semi-structured interviews with 16 physicians to delve into the determinants of their readiness to adopt m-health technologies. Data were analysed using template analysis to identify key themes and patterns. Results: In line with the UTAUT, the study identified performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions as significant influencing factors of the acceptance and adoption of mobile health applications by physicians in Saudi Arabia during the pandemic. This study also inquired into context-specific determinants, such as data privacy concerns, patient engagement, organisational support and compatibility with religious and cultural norms, which are especially relevant in Saudi Arabia and similar developing countries, where these factors, alongside the exigencies arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, have shaped the landscape of mobile health applications utilisation. Conclusions: This study enriches the literature by expanding the UTAUT model to include context-specific drivers of acceptance and adoption. It highlights the need for tailored adoption frameworks to fit local contexts for successful m-health integration. Implications: This research broadens the UTAUT model by including cultural compatibility and data privacy concerns, offering deeper insights into mHealth adoption during crises. It highlights the need for policies and practices that support culturally sensitive app design, strengthen data privacy measures and provide improved training and patient engagement to enhance mHealth adoption.

Keywords: COVID-19; Saudi Arabia; UTAUT model; eHealth; health informatics; health information management; m-health; mHealth; mobile health; telehealth; telemedicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The conceptual model, adapted from the UTAUT (Venkatesh et al., 2003). UTAUT: Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Extended UTAUT model for mHealth adoption in Saudi Arabia. UTAUT: Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Addotey-Delove M, Scott RE, Mars M. (2023) Healthcare workers’ perspectives of mHealth adoption factors in the developing world: Scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20(2): 1244. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adetunji CO, Olaniyan OT, Adeyomoye O, et al. (2022) eHealth, mHealth, and telemedicine for COVID-19 pandemic. In: Pani SK, Dash S, dos Santos WP, et al. (eds) Assessing COVID-19 and Other Pandemics and Epidemics using Computational Modelling and Data Analysis. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp.157–168.
    1. Alanzi T. (2021) A review of mobile applications available in the App and Google play stores used during the COVID-19 outbreak. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare 14: 45–57. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Al-Hanawi MK. (2021) Socioeconomic determinants and inequalities in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in Saudi Arabia. International Journal for Equity in Health 20(1): 174. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aljohani N, Chandran D. (2021) Factors affecting the adoption of M-health applications in Saudi Arabia: Impact of healthcare authority enforcement. In Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems. Dubai, UAE: Association for Information Systems.