Conference 2021 Pre-Recorded Video

 

Project title

Perceptions and perceived challenges of telemedicine adoption in developed and developing countries: Lessons from COVID-19 pandemic

 

Authors and Affiliations

Adriana Viola Miranda1

1. Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia

 

Abstract

Background

Travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to accelerated adoption of telemedicine in both developed and developing countries. However, with disparities in telecommunication infrastructure and overall health systems, different challenges have arisen during the adoption process. This review aims to analyze patients’ and providers’ perceptions towards telemedicine adoption during the pandemic in developed and developing countries.

Methods

A literature search in PubMed and EBSCOHost was conducted in December 2020 with keywords including “telemedicine”, “teleconsultation”, “COVID-19” and “perception”. Observational and qualitative studies published in 2020 and written in English and Indonesian were included in this review. Additional studies that are relevant to the topic were also included.

Results

The search yielded 30 included studies from 12 countries: 7 developed (USA, UK, Canada, Spain, Germany, Italy, Australia) and 5 developing countries (India, Indonesia, Tanzania, Lebanon, Chile). In the included studies, telemedicine consultations were conducted for outpatient visits and routine follow-up. Patients’ and providers’ perceptions of telemedicine were generally positive. Video conferencing was the preferred method for both patients and providers. Reported advantages include increased accessibility and convenience, shorter waiting time, scheduling flexibility and decreased monetary burden for travel. Twelve studies that measured willingness to adopt telemedicine beyond the pandemic show that between 34.2-96% of patients and healthcare providers are willing to continue the telemedicine measures. However, several challenges, including difficulties to foster optimal patient-provider relationships, administrative obstacles, technical issues, the digital generation gap, data protection concerns, and the lack of sufficient technology infrastructure and equipment, may hinder this adoption. An additional barrier for developing countries includes unclear insurance reimbursement scheme for telemedicine. Ease of use of the telemedicine platform is also a determining factor for widespread telemedicine adoption.

Conclusions

The positive perceptions towards telemedicine adoption in both developed and developing countries serve as an opportunity to digitize their healthcare delivery systems. However, several technical, regulatory and financial challenges need to be addressed to accelerate telemedicine adoption across the world.