Digital Health in KSA: The Influence of Demographics, Diagnoses and Consultation Dynamics on Patients’ Satisfaction with Sehhaty Application

Abstract

Background: Optimizing service delivery with Sehhaty application requires an understanding of the relationship between demographic, consultation-related characteristics and patients’ satisfaction.
Objectives: To evaluate current patients’ satisfaction with Saudi Sehhaty application and correlation between satisfaction, demographic and consultation dynamics providing data-driven recommendations for service enhancement.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study analyzed 212,376 users of Sehhaty virtual clinics in Saudi Arabia from January 2023 to August 2024. Secondary data, demographics, ICD-10 diagnoses, and consultation dynamics, extracted from electronic medical records with post-consultation satisfaction surveys.
Results: High Patients’ satisfaction 83.6%, app. usability receiving the highest rating. The most frequent clinical diagnoses were respiratory diseases (20.8%), primarily acute upper respiratory infections (70.3%), then general symptoms (15.0%) and health service counseling (11.8%). Regional analysis showed West and South contributed the highest consultation volumes (60.8%), while Central region reported highest satisfaction. Bivariate and multivariable analyses revealed younger age was the strongest independent predictor of satisfaction compared to the advanced elderly (OR=2.05, 95% CI: 1.68–2.51). Female gender was significantly associated with higher satisfaction (OR=1.20). Dissatisfied patients experienced 50% longer median waiting times. Multivariable modeling confirmed increased waiting time (OR=0.93), longer talk time (OR=0.96), and a higher frequency of monthly calls (OR=0.86) were associated with lower odds of satisfaction (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Sehhaty application serves as a highly effective digital front door for primary care in Saudi Arabia, particularly for acute respiratory conditions. High overall satisfaction, significantly driven by younger age and operational efficiency. Minimizing waiting times and call frequency is critical to maintaining patient contentment.