Facilitators and barriers in acceptance of telemedicine among healthcare providers in Pakistan: A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to assess healthcare professionals’ awareness and acceptance of telemedicine residing in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted across Pakistan from November 2021 to March 2022. Data entry was done through a self-administered questionnaire. In this survey, the non-probability purposive sampling method was adopted. Medical doctors from all specialties that fall into the age category of 20–60 years were included in this study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 was used for univariate data analysis. Results: Among the 860 healthcare professionals who received the survey, 198 responded (23.0% response rate). The mean ± SD age of the participants was 31.16 ± 8.56. The results were found to be statistically significant for knowledge about telemedicine among healthcare professionals workplace, that is, healthcare professionals working in the private sector indicated a high level of awareness regarding telemedicine as compared to those in the public sector ( p = 0.03). A significant difference ( p-value ⩽ 0.05) in knowledge was seen among doctors working in the public sector and those working in a private setup. Results indicate significant positive associations between telemedicine utilization and perceived benefits over disadvantages ( β = 1.03, p = 0.017), reliance among healthcare professionals (β = 1.22, p = 0.008), and enhancement in healthcare quality ( β = 1.42, p = 0.001). Moreover, familiarity with telemedicine correlates strongly with its usage ( β = 2.56, p < 0.000). Conclusion: Overall, healthcare professionals exhibited satisfactory knowledge regarding telemedicine and showed an accepting attitude toward telemedicine. Our study recommends enhancing the importance of Telemedicine training at the Healthcare professionals’ level to produce quality service delivery in healthcare organizations.