Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42699050›Full record

ArticleArchives of academic emergency medicine2026

Assessing the Impact of Virtual Clinics on Emergency Department and Primary Healthcare Visits in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study of 10,000 Patients.

Mohamed Almulhim, Yousef A Alhamaid, Qasem Almulihi, Mohannad Alghamdi, Mohammad Assiri, Saleh Saeed Al Jathnan Al Qahtani, Mohammad A Al Sultan, Mahmoud Essa Alwabari, Feras Ahmed Alsultan, Hussam Mohammed Alsultan and 2 more

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Article in Archives of academic emergency medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Mohamed AlmulhimEmergency Medicine Department, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, King Fahad Hospital of the University, Saudi Arabia.
Yousef A AlhamaidEmergency Medicine Department, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, King Fahad Hospital of the University, Saudi Arabia.
Qasem AlmulihiMinistry of health, Al-Ahsa Health Cluster, Saudi Arabia.
Mohannad AlghamdiEmergency Medicine Department, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, King Fahad Hospital of the University, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammad AssiriMinistry of health, Asir Health Cluster, Saudi Arabia.
Saleh Saeed Al Jathnan Al QahtaniCollege of Medicine, Najran University, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammad A Al SultanKing Faisal University, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Mahmoud Essa AlwabariFamily Medicine Department, Al Ahsa Health Cluster, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Feras Ahmed AlsultanFaculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
Hussam Mohammed AlsultanKing Faisal University, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed Abdullah AlsultanFaculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
Yaser Mohammed AlsultanMinistry of health, Eastern Health Cluster, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: By reducing the need for certain in-demand services, the virtual clinics could increase overall healthcare accessibility and operational effectiveness. This study aimed to examine the effect of establishing these clinics on the frequency of emergency department (ED) and primary healthcare (PHC) visits across Saudi Arabia. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was carried out on 10,000 patients who had used virtual clinics in various parts of the country, between May 2024 and October 2025. A self-administered questionnaire was used in the study to collect information on the frequency and reasons for ED and PHC visits both before and after the introduction of virtual clinics. Fisher's exact tests, Pearson's chi-squared, and descriptive statistics were used in the data analysis process. Results: Among the participants, 44% used virtual clinics once, 23% twice, and 33% more than twice. The establishment of virtual clinics led to 20% decrease in ED visits and 18% decrease in PHC visits. Preferred services included general consultations (76%), prescription renewals (49%), and follow-up appointments (48%). Factors contributing to reduction in in-person visits were shorter wait times (45.18%), better accessibility (39.61%), and reduced costs (36.23%). Demographic factors such as age, gender, and income level significantly influenced virtual clinic utilization patterns (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Virtual clinics have raised operational efficiency while simultaneously enhancing the accessibility and quality of healthcare. The findings align with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 objectives on the digitization of the healthcare sector.

Indexed as

Emergency service, hospitalHealth services accessibilityPrimary health careTelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID42699050
PMCPMC13542530

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.