KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TOWARDS TELEMEDICINE APPLICATIONS & BENEFITS:: A Survey from Tikur Anbessa & Nekemete Hospitals
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Date
2010-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: Ethiopia has an approximate population of 79 million of which more than 84% live in rural areas. The health care system is weak. The country experiences a heavy burden of disease with a growing prevalence of communicable infections. Telemedicine is the delivery of health care and medical knowledge over a distance using telecommunications systems. It is currently being used to bridge the physical distance between patients in remote areas and medical specialists around the world.
Objectives: This survey is designed to assess health care providers perceived knowledge, skill and attitude regarding telemedicine systems, clinical application areas, benefits and assess the current status of the telemedicine centers of Tikur Anbessa and Nekemete Hospitals.
Methods: The study design is both quantitative and qualitative. A Hospital based survey was conducted on April-May 2010 across professional groups using stratified random sampling. A self administered questionnaire distributed to a total of 520 health care providers and four hundred seventy five (91%) of them was returned. An interview and observation methods were also employed. The data collected from the questionnaire is coded, processed and analyzed using SPSS software version 16.0.
Findings: The study revealed that 48.9% of the respondents from Tikur Anbessa and 73.5% of the respondents from Nekemete hospital have very good knowledge of telemedicine systems. Moreover, only 52.6% of the respondents are found aware of telemedicine clinical application areas and 68.8% of them are aware of the benefits of telemedicine. The majority agreed up on resistance to new technology among health care providers, poor culture and underdeveloped telecom infrastructure as major barriers that hinder telemedicine development.
Conclusion and Recommendations: The study disclosed that the majority of the respondents of both hospitals are knowledgeable towards basic telemedicine systems and services. The majority again have favorable attitude towards the technology. On the other hand their awareness to the potential benefits and clinical application areas is found at a lower level. Working to eliminate barriers and wide scale promotion that helps to raise the level of awareness is recommended.
Keywords: Telemedicine; Tele-health; knowledge of Telemedicine; Perception of TelemedicineKnowledge and Perception of Health Care Providers towards Telemedicine Applications and Benefits.
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Keywords
Telemedicine, Tele-health, knowledge of Telemedicine, Perception of Telemedicine