Dawood Safia, AlKadi Khulud
Health Informatics, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, SAU.
Cureus. 2023 Feb 15;15(2):e35041. doi: 10.7759/cureus.35041. eCollection 2023 Feb.
Background Contact tracing applications were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate the spread of the infection in several countries. In Saudi Arabia, the Tawakkalna application was developed. The Tawakkalna application is a mobile health solution aimed to track infection cases, save lives, and reduce the burden on health facilities. This study aims to explore the public's attitude to and acceptance levels of the Tawakkalna application and to evaluate its effectiveness regarding privacy and security. The main objective of this study is to investigate the user acceptability of contact tracing applications and explore the safety and privacy effectiveness of the COVID-19 contact tracing application, the Tawakkalna application. In addition, the study analyzes factors associated with acceptance levels and compares the results obtained to similar studies in other countries using similar applications. Methodology This study used a valid and reliable online survey that was used in similar studies conducted in other countries to assess the acceptability of the application. The survey was conducted from September to November 2021, and the final dataset included 205 participants. To investigate the privacy and security performance of the Tawakkalna application, we followed the investigation method used by similar research that investigated 28 contact tracing applications across Europe. Results Out of the 205 participants, 84.87% were in favor of the opt-in voluntary installation of the Tawakkalna application, and 49.75% of the participants were in favor of the opt-out automatic installation. Individuals' trust in the government had a huge impact on acceptance, with 60.98% of the participants supporting the application because they believed that the Tawakkalna application would help them stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 49% of the participants supporting the application also agreed to the de-identification of their collected data and providing it for research. The Tawakkalna application ranked at the top compared to other contact tracing applications regarding privacy and security. Conclusions The Tawakkalna application developed by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is considered the biggest public health crisis in recent times. The Saudi Arabian government gained the population's acceptance through effective endorsement and the spread of educational content through media channels. By complying with privacy policies, the Tawakkalna application is an effective tool to combat public health infectious diseases.
背景
在新冠疫情期间，多个国家推出了接触者追踪应用程序以减轻感染传播。在沙特阿拉伯，开发了“塔瓦卡尔纳”应用程序。“塔瓦卡尔纳”应用程序是一种移动健康解决方案，旨在追踪感染病例、挽救生命并减轻卫生设施的负担。本研究旨在探讨公众对“塔瓦卡尔纳”应用程序的态度和接受程度，并评估其在隐私和安全方面的有效性。本研究的主要目的是调查接触者追踪应用程序的用户可接受性，并探索新冠接触者追踪应用程序“塔瓦卡尔纳”应用程序的安全和隐私有效性。此外，该研究分析了与接受程度相关的因素，并将所得结果与其他国家使用类似应用程序的类似研究进行比较。
方法
本研究使用了一个有效且可靠的在线调查，该调查在其他国家进行的类似研究中用于评估该应用程序的可接受性。调查于2021年9月至11月进行，最终数据集包括205名参与者。为了调查“塔瓦卡尔纳”应用程序的隐私和安全性能，我们采用了类似研究使用的调查方法，该研究调查了欧洲的28个接触者追踪应用程序。
结果
在205名参与者中，84.87%的人赞成选择加入自愿安装“塔瓦卡尔纳”应用程序，49.75%的参与者赞成选择退出自动安装。个人对政府的信任对接受程度有巨大影响，60.98%的参与者支持该应用程序，因为他们认为“塔瓦卡尔纳”应用程序将帮助他们在新冠疫情期间保持健康。总体而言，支持该应用程序的参与者中有49%也同意对其收集的数据进行去识别并将其提供用于研究。在隐私和安全方面，“塔瓦卡尔纳”应用程序与其他接触者追踪应用程序相比排名靠前。
结论
沙特数据和人工智能管理局开发的“塔瓦卡尔纳”应用程序是对新冠疫情的回应，新冠疫情被认为是近期最大的公共卫生危机。沙特阿拉伯政府通过有效的宣传以及通过媒体渠道传播教育内容获得了民众的接受。通过遵守隐私政策，“塔瓦卡尔纳”应用程序是抗击公共卫生传染病的有效工具。
