Connected Care in Saudi Arabia: What EY's 2026 Data Means for Hospitals and Pharma

Connected care links what patients do on their phones, wearables and AI tools with the clinicians who treat them, so health data and guidance flow continuously between visits. Saudi Arabia now leads the ten markets EY surveyed in frequent use of AI for health, and the gap between that engagement and the care system is where the next wave of value sits.

Saudi patients are already living the connected half of this model. They track, search and ask AI more than almost anyone else. What is still missing, in many hospitals and clinics, is the other half: a trusted clinical channel that turns all that activity into better decisions.

EY's Future of Health Survey, published in August 2026, surveyed 1,002 respondents in Saudi Arabia within a global sample of nearly 7,700. Its findings, set out below with CareSync's view of what providers and pharma should do next, make the case plainly.

Saudi Arabia's connected-care paradox, in brief

• Patients are ready. 78% have tracked their health digitally, against a global average of 57%, and 88% are willing to share wearable and app data.
• AI already shapes demand. 86% have requested, or considered requesting, a test, treatment or prescription based on AI-sourced information.
• Doctors still anchor trust. 89% trust healthcare professionals, and Saudi respondents led all markets in frequent clinician consultation.
• The connection is half-built. About 46% say their clinician actively uses their tracked data, while 65% are unsure which online health information to trust.
• The opportunity is integration. The winners will connect consumer data and AI insight to trusted clinical pathways.

Finding 1: How are Saudi patients managing their health digitally?

Digital self-monitoring is now a mainstream habit in the Kingdom, not an early-adopter niche (EY, 2026). Around 60% of Saudi respondents tracked their health digitally in the past year, and 78% have done so at some point, well above the 57% survey average.

The habit is new and still accelerating. Among those who track, 53% started within the past year, using smartphone apps, blood pressure monitors, smart scales, glucose monitors and at-home test kits.

What they track maps directly onto the Kingdom's chronic-disease burden:

• Weight: 64% of trackers monitor it.
• Blood glucose at home: 22% of trackers, the highest rate across all surveyed countries.
• Macronutrients: 23% of trackers log their intake.

Patients also blend sources rather than choosing one. 67% consult healthcare professionals frequently or very frequently, 69% use AI tools for health information and 40% use social media.

The implication: Saudi patients are generating exactly the signals that matter for diabetes, obesity and cardiometabolic care. Today, most of those signals stay on the patient's phone. A provider that captures them can intervene earlier, personalise follow-up and prove outcomes.

Finding 2: How is AI changing health behaviour and the consultation in Saudi Arabia?

In Saudi Arabia, AI has moved from answering questions to changing what people do. Saudi respondents were more likely than those in any other surveyed market to use AI tools frequently or very frequently for health (EY MENA, 2026).

The influence then carries into the clinic:

• 45% say AI-based research influenced their decision to seek medical advice.
• 86% have requested, or considered requesting, a test, treatment or prescription based on AI information.
• 55% say AI shaped the questions they asked their clinician, and the same share say it led them to challenge or discuss a recommendation.

The implication: consultations in the Kingdom are becoming collaborative by default. Clinicians are already being asked to validate AI-generated ideas, usually with no visibility of where they came from. Bringing validated, clinician-governed guidance into the patient's own channel is how providers turn that pressure into productive, informed conversations.

Finding 3: Are Saudi patients ready to share health data with their care team?

Saudi patients have given providers permission to build connected care. What they lack is a reliable way to use it. Trust in clinicians is high: 89% trust healthcare professionals and 84% are comfortable discussing concerns, treatment options and care decisions.

Willingness to share data is higher still. 88% are willing to share data from wearables and health apps, and 75% to 83% are comfortable with AI across the patient journey, from booking appointments to treatment recommendations.

But the patient's experience is fragmented:

• 65% are unsure which online health information to trust.
• 55% feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available.
• About 46% say their clinician actively uses their wearable or app data. That beats the 30% global average, yet leaves more than half of trackers unconnected.

GLP-1 therapies show what is at stake. 15% of Saudi respondents currently use them, 13% have used them before and 19% are considering them. About 66% obtain them through healthcare professionals, but 30% use informal sources such as friends or family, a gap EY links to the need for stronger governance, clinical guidance and patient education.

Supervision matters for staying on therapy too. A JAMA Network Open cohort of 125,474 adults found that 64.8% of GLP-1 users without type 2 diabetes stopped within a year, and that moderate or severe gastrointestinal side effects raised the risk of stopping. Those are exactly the issues a connected care team can catch early.

The implication: the constraint is no longer patient willingness. It is the absence of a trusted, clinician-led channel that filters information, makes sense of patient data and keeps people on safe, supervised pathways.

Why connected care matters more in Saudi Arabia than almost anywhere

The Kingdom combines a heavy chronic-disease burden with one of the world's most connected populations and a national policy push toward prevention. That combination makes connected care an economic necessity, not a nice-to-have.

Four structural forces reinforce the case:

1. Policy is pointed at prevention and digital care. The Health Sector Transformation Program under Vision 2030 prioritises access, prevention and digitalisation, and strengthening prevention is one of its four strategic objectives.
2. National infrastructure is in place. SEHA Virtual Hospital launched in 2022 with 130 connected hospitals and has since grown to 241 connected facilities, and NPHIES provides a national health information exchange architecture.
3. The biggest savings sit between visits. McKinsey attributes 41% of the potential value to virtual interactions such as remote chronic-disease monitoring, and 17% to self-care tools like adherence apps, both with low adoption when assessed.
4. Data rules are now enforced. Health data is sensitive personal data under the PDPL, which has been fully enforceable by SDAIA since 14 September 2024. Connected care in the Kingdom must be built for consent, local governance and controlled data transfer from day one.

The clinical evidence supports the model. A 2026 JMIR mHealth meta-analysis of 58 randomised trials and 13,942 adults with type 2 diabetes found telemedicine lowered HbA1c by 0.38 percentage points versus usual care. It also improved weight and blood pressure, and subgroup results were stronger when physicians or dietitians delivered the programme (summary). The lesson for Saudi providers: connected care works best when clinicians stay in the loop.

How CareSync closes the connected-care loop

CareSync is a white-label, omnichannel continuous-care platform built in Riyadh for hospitals, clinics and pharma Patient Support Programmes. It sits between the patient's digital life and the care team, and it carries the provider's brand, not its own.

Patient signals flow in with consent, reach clinicians as filtered flags, and return to the patient as guidance in the provider's own channel.

Why the provider's brand matters. EY's data shows Saudi patients trust clinicians at 89% but struggle to know which online information to trust. A white-label channel lets that clinical trust travel with the patient: every reminder, answer and check-in comes from their own hospital and doctor.

Why it matters for pharma. A PSP delivered inside the prescriber's channel keeps patients on supervised therapy, supports titration and adherence, and captures adverse events, while giving the brand team cleaner real-world evidence than an anonymous third-party app.

A six-step connected-care playbook for Saudi providers and pharma

The EY report calls for stronger digital health literacy, responsible data use and AI embedded in appropriate governance. These six steps turn that into an operating plan.

1. Start where patients already track. Launch on a pathway with high self-monitoring and measurable outcomes: type 2 diabetes, obesity and GLP-1 therapy, or hypertension. Saudi patients' 22% home-glucose monitoring rate makes diabetes a natural first pathway.
2. Invite the data in, with consent. Ask patients to connect their apps, devices and home readings through a PDPL-compliant consent flow. With 88% willing to share, the barrier is the invitation, not the patient.
3. Filter before you forward. Turn raw readings into a short clinical summary with flags, so clinicians see what changes a decision. This answers the 55% who feel overwhelmed and protects clinician time.
4. Become the trusted source. Publish clinician-approved, Arabic-first education and AI-assisted answers inside your own branded channel. Patients who are unsure what to trust online (65%) will default to the source their doctor endorses.
5. Let AI run the operational layer. Automate booking, reminders, triage routing and refill prompts, where comfort is high. Keep treatment decisions visibly with the clinician.
6. Measure outcomes and report them. Track adherence and persistence, HbA1c or weight trajectories, avoidable visits and patient satisfaction. These are the metrics payers, health clusters and pharma partners will fund.

For pharma teams: the 30% of GLP-1 users sourcing informally is a patient-safety and brand-reputation issue, not just a market leak. Patient Support Programmes delivered through the prescriber's own channel keep patients on supervised pathways, support titration and capture adverse events for pharmacovigilance.

Frequently asked questions

What is connected care? Connected care links patient-generated data from apps, wearables and home tests with the care team, so clinicians can monitor, guide and intervene between visits. It turns episodic appointments into a continuous relationship.

How digitally engaged are patients in Saudi Arabia? Very. EY's 2026 survey found 78% of Saudi respondents have tracked their health digitally, against a 57% global average, and 69% use AI tools for health information.

Are Saudi patients willing to share their health data? Yes. 88% are willing to share wearable and health-app data when it can improve their care, and 75% to 83% are comfortable with AI across the patient journey.

How is AI changing doctor–patient conversations in Saudi Arabia? 55% of Saudi respondents say AI shaped the questions they asked their clinician, and 86% have requested or considered a test, treatment or prescription based on AI information.

What does PDPL mean for connected care platforms? Health data is sensitive personal data under Saudi Arabia's PDPL, fully enforced by SDAIA since 14 September 2024. Platforms need explicit consent flows, a Data Protection Officer where required and compliant safeguards for any cross-border transfer.

Where should a Saudi hospital start with connected care? Start with one chronic pathway where patients already self-monitor, such as diabetes or weight management. Prove adherence and outcome gains there, then scale to other conditions.

Does remote monitoring improve diabetes outcomes? Yes, modestly but consistently. A 2026 meta-analysis of 58 randomised trials found telemedicine lowered HbA1c by 0.38 percentage points versus usual care, with gains in weight and blood pressure too.

How big is digital health adoption through national platforms in Saudi Arabia? The Ministry of Health reports that more than 31 million people have used the Sehhaty app, and SEHA Virtual Hospital has reached over 365,000 beneficiaries through 241 connected facilities.

The connection is the product

Saudi patients have done their part. They track, they share and they ask. They still trust their doctors more than any app. The missing piece is the bridge between the two, and whoever builds it inside a trusted clinical brand will own the patient relationship of the next decade.

The question for every hospital, clinic and pharma team in the Kingdom is simple: when your patient opens their phone tomorrow, will your care team be there?

Ready to connect your patients' data to your care team? Book a CareSync demo at care-sync.co and launch connected care on your first pathway.

About CareSync

This article was prepared by the CareSync Team, drawing on experience across pharma, medical affairs, market access and digital health in Saudi Arabia. CareSync is a white-label continuous-care platform built in Riyadh for hospitals, clinics and pharma Patient Support Programmes.

Sources

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5. Systematic review and meta-analysis of 58 randomised trials of telemedicine versus usual care in type 2 diabetes. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2026.
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