Abstract
Background: The progress and innovation in telemedicine within the Middle Eastern countries have not been heavily monitored. Therefore, the present study aims to analyze the scholarly work conducted in the Arab world, using reproducible statistical and scientometric techniques.Methods: An electronic search of Web of Science (core database) had been conducted through use of an extensive search strategy comprising of keywords specific to the Arab region, EMRO countries, telehealth, medical conditions, and disorders. A total yield of 1,630 search results were processed, indexed through July 7, 2020. CiteSpace (5.7.R1, Drexel University, Pennsylvania, USA) is a Java-based application, a user-friendly tool for conducting scientometric analyses.Results: The present analyses found a lack of innovation in the field of digital health in the Arab countries. Many gaps in research were found in Arab countries, which will be discussed subsequently. Digital health research was clustered around themes of big data and artificial intelligence; a lack of progress was seen in telemedicine and digital health. Furthermore, only a small proportion of these publications had principal or corresponding authors from Arab countries. A clear disparity in digital health research in the Arab world was evident after comparing these insights with our previous investigation on telemedicine research in the global context.Conclusion: Telemedicine research is still in its infancy in the Middle Eastern countries. Recommendations include diversification of the research landscape and interdisciplinary collaborations in this area.
Highlights
Provision of healthcare services to remote areas has been made a reality with effective coherence of the health profession and technology
We identified a paucity in the quality of work conducted in digital health in Arab countries
We identified important research gaps in digital health research based on our scientometric analyses (Figure 7), corroborated by previous research [10, 26]: a) Trial data: We found a lack of controlled trials of medical devices, algorithms, and telemedicine technology in hospital centers in the Arab world
Summary
Provision of healthcare services to remote areas has been made a reality with effective coherence of the health profession and technology. Telemedicine in Arab Countries that aid in the advancement of medical education around the world, equipping professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills [1, 2]. Telemedicine technology has diversified, and innovation has led to the use of telemedicine in various specialties of medicine including teleradiology, teledermatology, telepsychiatry, and telepathology, among others. Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asian regions can benefit the most out of these telehealth facilities [6]; there is a lack of research concerning the application of telemedicine in the Arab countries. The progress and innovation in telemedicine within the Middle Eastern countries have not been heavily monitored. The present study aims to analyze the scholarly work conducted in the Arab world, using reproducible statistical and scientometric techniques
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