Assessing Telemedicine Knowledge and Utilization among Residents in Benin City, Edo State during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine, addressing healthcare service gaps. This study  aimed to evaluate the knowledge and utilization of telemedicine among residents in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among adult residents of Benin City. A multi-staged sampling technique  comprising four stages was employed to select respondents, and data were collected through a pre-tested self-administered  questionnaire. Statistical analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS vs 25.0. Significance was established at p < 0.05, and results were  presented as prose and frequency tables. Results: The study included 413 participants with a mean age (SD) of 26.9 ± 7.1 years. The  majority, 279 (67.6%), were students, and 289 (70.0%) had tertiary education. Good knowledge of telemedicine was demonstrated by 192  (61.5%) of the respondents but 122 (39.1%) had used telemedicine services. Fifty-seven (46.7%) of those who used telemedicine favoured  phone calls as the primary medium, citing its accessibility. Notably, 106 (86.9%) reported using telemedicine to reduce hospital waiting  times, and 105 (86.1%) appreciated its ready availability. Barriers to telemedicine use included network challenges during consultations  (42.6%) and inconsistent power supply (36.3%). Age (p = 0.045), sex (p = 0.038) and higher education (p = 0.009) were significantly  associated with better telemedicine knowledge. Conclusion: The study revealed that while a significant proportion of residents in Benin  City possessed good knowledge of telemedicine, its utilization remains low. Addressing infrastructure limitations and extending   educational efforts will be pivotal in bridging the knowledge-utilization gap in telemedicine.