A Qualitative Exploration of Stakeholder-Perceived Telerehabilitation Needs in Saudi Arabia

Background. Tele rehabilitation (TR) implementation often fails to persist beyond research phases due to various factors and one of them  being absence of comprehensive needs assessment. Despite growing TR adoption in Saudi Arabia aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, we are not aware of any studies that have systematically explored stakeholder perceived needs for TR across rehabilitation disciplines. This qualitative study aimed to explore the "felt" needs for TR among key stakeholders in Saudi Arabia, (1) identify stakeholder-specific needs that TR could address; (2) determine patient populations most suitable for TR; (3) explore preferences regarding modes of TR delivery; and (4) examine clinicians' perceptions of how TR might influence their professional practice, including time utilization, productivity, and patient prioritization. Methods. This qualitative study employed a descriptive, inductive thematic analysis approach. Between September 2021 and September 2022, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 32 participants across four stakeholder groups: 20 rehabilitation clinicians (physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists), 8 patients, 2 parents of pediatric patients, and 2 rehabilitation service managers. Results. Clinicians reported that TR could address patients' needs for education, home exercise program compliance, monitoring, and access to care. Patients emphasized convenience, accessible services, education, and compliance support. Managers identified patient progress monitoring and convenient access as priority needs addressed by TR. Additionally, clinicians expressed that TR could optimize time utilization, increase productivity, and enable patient prioritization. Videoconferencing emerged as the most preferred delivery mode. Conclusion. These findings provide foundational, context-specific evidence to inform TR implementation planning, policy development, and resource allocation in alignment with national digital health transformation goals. Findings should be interpreted within the context of this purposive qualitative sample.