Authors: Abdulaziz Rashed Alsaedi , Roaa Matouq Khinkar , Maisam Elfaki Ahmed Haddad , Sumayyah Mohammed Alsharif , Anhar Abdelwahab Elbashir , Ahlam Ali Alghamdi

Abstract

Background: The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the provision of healthcare services.
However, researchers have not thoroughly examined its practical and ethical implications in Saudi Arabia’s
rural healthcare settings. Thus, this study aims to assess the AI integration-related challenges among healthcare professionals based on the demographic locations of the healthcare institutions.

Methods: It employed a cross-sectional study design among 400 physicians and nurses, utilizing a structured
online questionnaire. Frequency, mean, and standard deviation were utilized for descriptive data analysis.
Independent t-tests and analysis for variance (ANOVA) were utilized for inferential analysis.

Results: The majority of the 400 respondents were medical doctors (n = 295, 73.8%). Most participants were
from governmental health facilities (n = 348, 87.0%), followed by private (n = 30, 7.5%), and then military (n
= 22, 5.5%). 88.0% of the participants were from urban healthcare settings (n = 353, 88.0%). Higher significance means were found pertaining to the AI concerns and ethical considerations associated with respondents working in urban areas compared to rural areas (M = 3.55, p = 0.010; M = 3.69, p = 0.032). No difference was reported in terms of the type of healthcare facilities (p = 0.169, p = 0.613).

Conclusion: Despite the wide integration of AI-based solutions in urban healthcare institutions, concerns and
ethical considerations are significantly higher. Accordingly, future studies are warranted to assess the impact
of AI integration on rural healthcare providers’ attitudes and behaviors.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence, healthcare, clinical practice, health digital transformation