**5. Conclusions**

This study sheds light on the utilization of telehealth and access to healthcare services. The result of the present study confirms the outcome of the previous studies [14,22,23]. There will be an increasing demand for initiatives to improve telehealth benefits or use among patients as more information about the benefits and consequences of using telehealth becomes available. Policymakers appeared to be reacting to the impending pandemic's uncertainty as COVID-19 spread. Considering our findings, policymakers should think about making these temporary telehealth policies permanent in the event of another epidemic. To better prepare patients for future and unanticipated hurdles to in-person healthcare, authorities should consider adopting rules that favor the growth of telehealth services, such as specialized care. Owing to the potential benefits of telehealth services, policymakers should conduct additional analyses before devising strategies for managing future and unexpected obstacles that prevent patients from receiving in-person treatment.

**Author Contributions:** Study design: H.Y.H., N.M.A.Z. and J.X.; funding acquisition N.M.A.Z.; data collection and analysis: D.I.A., M.S.O. and M.G.A.; manuscript writing: H.Y.H., N.M.A.Z., J.X., D.I.A., M.S.O. and M.G.A.; agrees to be accountable for all aspects of work: H.Y.H., N.M.A.Z., J.X., D.I.A., M.S.O. and M.G.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research was funded by AlMaarefa University, grant number TUMA-2021-25.

**Institutional Review Board Statement:** Institutional Review Board Statement: The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Institutional Review Board (or Ethics Committee) of AlMaarefa University (protocol code 2021-25).

**Informed Consent Statement:** Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

**Data Availability Statement:** The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors would like to express their gratitude to AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for providing funding to this work under TUMA project grant number (TUMA-2021-25).

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.

## **References**

