Alanazi Adel Saber, Salah Alanazi Abdullah, Benlaria Houcine
College of Education, Jouf University, Sakakah 72388, Saudi Arabia.
King Salman Center for Disability Research, Riyadh 11614, Saudi Arabia.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jul 6;13(13):1616. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13131616.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Artificial intelligence (AI) offers opportunities to enhance healthcare accessibility for people with disabilities (PwDs). However, their application in Saudi Arabia remains limited. This study explores PwDs' experiences with AI technologies within the Kingdom's Vision 2030 digital health framework to inform inclusive healthcare innovation strategies.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine PwDs across Riyadh, Al-Jouf, and the Northern Border region between January and February 2025. Participants used various AI-enabled technologies, including smart home assistants, mobile health applications, communication aids, and automated scheduling systems. Thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's six-phase framework was employed to identify key themes and patterns.
Four major themes emerged: (1) accessibility and usability challenges, including voice recognition difficulties and interface barriers; (2) personalization and autonomy through AI-assisted daily living tasks and medication management; (3) technological barriers such as connectivity issues and maintenance gaps; and (4) psychological acceptance influenced by family support and cultural integration. Participants noted infrastructure gaps in rural areas, financial constraints, limited disability-specific design, and digital literacy barriers while expressing optimism regarding AI's potential to enhance independence and health outcomes.
Realizing the benefits of AI for disability healthcare in Saudi Arabia requires culturally adapted designs, improved infrastructure investment in rural regions, inclusive policymaking, and targeted digital literacy programs. These findings support inclusive healthcare innovation aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 goals and provide evidence-based recommendations for implementing AI healthcare technologies for PwDs in similar cultural contexts.
背景/目的：人工智能（AI）为提高残疾人（PwDs）的医疗保健可及性提供了机遇。然而，其在沙特阿拉伯的应用仍然有限。本研究探讨了在沙特阿拉伯王国2030年愿景数字健康框架内残疾人对人工智能技术的体验，以为包容性医疗创新战略提供信息。
2025年1月至2月期间，对利雅得、朱夫和北部边境地区的9名残疾人进行了半结构化访谈。参与者使用了各种人工智能技术，包括智能家居助手、移动健康应用程序、通讯辅助设备和自动调度系统。采用遵循布劳恩和克拉克六阶段框架的主题分析法来确定关键主题和模式。
出现了四个主要主题：（1）可及性和可用性挑战，包括语音识别困难和界面障碍；（2）通过人工智能辅助的日常生活任务和药物管理实现个性化和自主性；（3）技术障碍，如连接问题和维护差距；（4）受家庭支持和文化融合影响的心理接受度。参与者指出农村地区存在基础设施差距、资金限制、针对残疾人群体的设计有限以及数字素养障碍，同时对人工智能提高独立性和健康结果的潜力表示乐观。
要在沙特阿拉伯实现人工智能对残疾医疗保健的益处，需要进行文化适应性设计、增加对农村地区的基础设施投资、制定包容性政策以及开展有针对性的数字素养项目。这些发现支持了与沙特2030年愿景目标相一致的包容性医疗创新，并为在类似文化背景下为残疾人实施人工智能医疗技术提供了循证建议。
