Telemedicine in the Fourth Industrial Revolution 'An Analytical Study on the regulations the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia'

Abstract

Telemedicine gains significant importance in the present era, especially as we find ourselves in the era of the fourth economic revolution, which relies on modern technology, particularly robotics and artificial intelligence. It is no longer surprising that many medical tasks are being performed through these means, not just remote examinations, consultations, and diagnoses, but also surgical operations using robots or other advanced technological tools. The legal regulations governing telemedicine in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have acknowledged these practices. However, this raises questions about the adequacy and suitability of the specific laws in organizing and addressing all issues related to telemedicine and medical care in general. Are the existing legal regulations governing telemedicine in Saudi Arabia adequate and sufficient to regulate its practice and address related matters?

The study has reached several findings, some of which are related to the formal aspects of these rules and the existence of numerous linguistic and typographical errors. Additionally, there is a weakness in objectively addressing certain issues. The study emphasizes the necessity of enacting legal rules of a regulatory nature to address aspects related to telemedicine, particularly the regulation and restriction of some medical practices performed through robots and artificial intelligence, taking into account their potential risks. Suitable provisions should also be allocated to inform patients about various medical practices conducted remotely.