An insight into the implementation, utilization, and evaluation of telemedicine e-consultation services in Egypt

IF 3.4 3区医学 Q1 HEALTH POLICY & SERVICES

Health Policy and Technology Pub Date : 2024-11-17 DOI:10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100951

Ehab Kamal , Iman A. F. Aboelsaad , Yousra A. El-Maradny , Rasha Ashmawy , Nermeen Gawish , Ahmed K. Selem , Dina Fawzy Abd Elsadek , Khaled Abdelghaffar

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction

Telemedicine has gained momentum in healthcare, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Egypt, a government collaboration introduced telemedicine in 2019 to transform healthcare delivery.

Objective

This study provides an overview of Egypt's telemedicine initiative, focusing on its infrastructure, utilization, and perceived impact over three years.

Methods

A cross-sectional anonymous online survey of Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) physicians using telemedicine services was conducted. The survey estimated perceived cost savings and reductions in healthcare delivery wait times, along with identifying facilitators and barriers to telemedicine implementation. It captured sociodemographic characteristics and physician opinions on telemedicine benefits, including perceived face-to-face consultation costs and wait times. The descriptive analysis summarized these findings.

Results

Egypt's telemedicine system includes 200 Distance Medical Diagnosis Units (DMDUs) across governorates. By August 2023, over 97,000 consultations were completed, with consultations tripling in 2023 compared to 2020-2022. Dermatology, internal medicine, and pediatrics were the most requested specialties, with tuberculosis and clinical pharmacy added in 2023. Responses from 214 physicians revealed that nearly 90% estimated external consultation costs under 1000 EGP (32.4 USD), compared to the free telemedicine consultations available to patients. For inpatient consultations, 35% reported waiting times of a day or less. Challenges included technical issues and patient acceptance.

Conclusion

The study offers insights for policymakers to optimize telemedicine services, improve healthcare access, and reduce disparities in Egypt, showing telemedicine's potential to enhance healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.

Public interest summary

Telemedicine has become a crucial tool in healthcare, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. In Egypt, a collaboration between government ministries launched a telemedicine initiative in 2019. This study explores its impact over three years, focusing on the benefits and challenges of telemedicine as perceived by physicians. The findings are based on a survey of 214 doctors from 21 governorates who use the Ministry of Health and Population's telemedicine services. Results showed that over 97,000 consultations had been performed by mid-2023, with specialties like dermatology and pediatrics in high demand. Most doctors reported significant cost savings for patients compared to face-to-face consultations. However, challenges remain, particularly technical issues and patient acceptance. The study highlights the potential of telemedicine to improve healthcare access and reduce costs, offering valuable insights for policymakers to optimize the system and promote better healthcare outcomes in Egypt.

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深入了解埃及远程医疗电子会诊服务的实施、利用和评估情况

导言远程医疗在医疗保健领域发展势头迅猛，尤其是在应对 COVID-19 大流行方面。本研究概述了埃及的远程医疗计划，重点关注其三年来的基础设施、使用情况和感知影响。方法对使用远程医疗服务的卫生和人口部（MoHP）医生进行了横断面匿名在线调查。调查估算了可感知的成本节约和医疗服务等待时间的减少，同时确定了远程医疗实施的促进因素和障碍。调查还收集了社会人口学特征和医生对远程医疗益处的看法，包括感知到的面对面咨询成本和等待时间。结果埃及的远程医疗系统包括跨省的 200 个远程医疗诊断单元（DMDU）。截至 2023 年 8 月，共完成了 97,000 多次会诊，与 2020-2022 年相比，2023 年的会诊量增加了两倍。皮肤科、内科和儿科是问诊人数最多的专科，结核病和临床药学也是 2023 年新增的专科。来自 214 名医生的回复显示，近 90% 的医生估计外部会诊费用低于 1000 埃及镑（32.4 美元），而患者可免费获得远程医疗会诊。对于住院病人的会诊，35% 的人报告等待时间为一天或更短。这项研究为政策制定者优化远程医疗服务、改善医疗服务的可及性、减少埃及的医疗差距提供了启示，显示了远程医疗在提高医疗服务质量和患者治疗效果方面的潜力。在埃及，政府各部委合作于 2019 年启动了一项远程医疗计划。本研究探讨了该计划三年来的影响，重点关注医生眼中远程医疗的益处和挑战。研究结果基于对来自 21 个省、使用卫生和人口部远程医疗服务的 214 名医生的调查。调查结果显示，截至 2023 年中期，已进行了 97,000 多次会诊，其中皮肤科和儿科等专科需求量较大。大多数医生表示，与面对面咨询相比，为患者节省了大量费用。然而，挑战依然存在，特别是技术问题和患者接受程度。这项研究强调了远程医疗在改善医疗服务和降低成本方面的潜力，为决策者优化埃及的医疗系统和促进更好的医疗成果提供了宝贵的见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Health Policy and Technology Medicine-Health Policy

CiteScore

9.20

自引率

3.30%

发文量

审稿时长

88 days

期刊介绍： Health Policy and Technology (HPT), is the official journal of the Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine (FPM), a cross-disciplinary journal, which focuses on past, present and future health policy and the role of technology in clinical and non-clinical national and international health environments. HPT provides a further excellent way for the FPM to continue to make important national and international contributions to development of policy and practice within medicine and related disciplines. The aim of HPT is to publish relevant, timely and accessible articles and commentaries to support policy-makers, health professionals, health technology providers, patient groups and academia interested in health policy and technology. Topics covered by HPT will include: - Health technology, including drug discovery, diagnostics, medicines, devices, therapeutic delivery and eHealth systems - Cross-national comparisons on health policy using evidence-based approaches - National studies on health policy to determine the outcomes of technology-driven initiatives - Cross-border eHealth including health tourism - The digital divide in mobility, access and affordability of healthcare - Health technology assessment (HTA) methods and tools for evaluating the effectiveness of clinical and non-clinical health technologies - Health and eHealth indicators and benchmarks (measure/metrics) for understanding the adoption and diffusion of health technologies - Health and eHealth models and frameworks to support policy-makers and other stakeholders in decision-making - Stakeholder engagement with health technologies (clinical and patient/citizen buy-in) - Regulation and health economics