The Role of Health Information Systems in Supporting Healthcare Decision-Making in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Health information systems (HIS) have become central instruments of healthcare governance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, translating dispersed clinical, administrative, and population-level data into actionable evidence for decision-makers. This paper examines the role of HIS in supporting healthcare decision-making across clinical, managerial, and policy domains, situating the discussion within the Kingdom's Vision 2030 healthcare transformation agenda and its expanding digital infrastructure, including the National Platform for Health Information Exchange Services (Nphies), the Mumaris+ licensing and workforce registry, and the electronic health record ecosystems operated across the Ministry of Health and academic medical centers. Drawing on the DeLone and McLean Information Systems Success Model and Donabedian's structure-process-outcome framework, the paper proposes an original integrative model, the LUMEN Framework, to describe how linked data infrastructure, unified governance, multisource evidence integration, empowered end users, and networked feedback loops jointly determine whether HIS investments translate into improved decisions and outcomes. The paper further reviews the regulatory landscape shaped by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions, and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, and identifies persistent barriers to full realization of HIS value, including interoperability gaps, cybersecurity exposure, uneven digital literacy, and change-resistant organizational cultures. The paper concludes with policy-relevant recommendations for strengthening the evidentiary and decisional value of HIS in the Saudi healthcare system.