Evaluation of the use and effectiveness of telemedicine among the health professionals during the COVID 19 lockdown period: A cross sectional study

IF 0.2 Q4 MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL
O. James, B. Akinboboye, K. Okunade, A. Adekunle, W. Adeyemo
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引用次数: 5

Abstract

Background: Telemedicine has been documented as a viable option in attending to patient's need where distance is a critical factor. The Federal Government of Nigeria on March 27, 2020, imposed a total lockdown in Lagos state in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The restriction in movement prevented many patients from attending their regular clinics and physical consultations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use and effectiveness of telemedicine among the hospital health professionals during the lockdown period. Methods: This was an online cross-sectional study among doctors at a tertiary health facility in Lagos. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional ethical committee. A list of the telephone and WhatsApp contacts of doctors were obtained from the hospital directory; the SurveyMonkey tool was used as an online web-based structured questionnaire for data collection. The information obtained was analyzed to find means and averages. Results: A total of 104 doctors completed the survey. The proportion of participants who used telemedicine was 93.3%, with the most commonly used telemedicine option being phone call (27.1%) and WhatsApp video call (27.1%). The main management provided during this period was counseling (56.6%). Seventy-nine percent of the participants were satisfied with the result of the management provided through telemedicine options, but the major concern was that of ethical issues (36.2%). Majority (44.2%) of the respondents agree that telemedicine was effective during the COVID-19 lockdown period. There was no association found between gender, age, designation, and perceived effectiveness of telemedicine by respondents in this study (P = 0.88, 0.4, and 0.07, respectively). Conclusion: Telemedicine was found to be a useful tool for effective patient's management during the lockdown period although there exist ethical concerns. The formulation of policies guiding its use will ensure the security of information and patient's confidentiality.
评估COVID - 19封锁期间卫生专业人员远程医疗的使用和有效性:一项横断面研究
背景:远程医疗已被证明是一个可行的选择,在照顾病人的需要,其中距离是一个关键因素。2020年3月27日,尼日利亚联邦政府在拉各斯州实施全面封锁,以遏制2019冠状病毒病(COVID-19)大流行的传播。对行动的限制使许多病人无法到正规诊所就诊和进行体检。本研究的目的是评估封锁期间医院卫生专业人员远程医疗的使用情况和有效性。方法:这是一项在线横断面研究,研究对象是拉各斯一家三级卫生机构的医生。获得了机构伦理委员会的伦理批准。从医院目录中获得了医生的电话和WhatsApp联系人列表;使用SurveyMonkey工具作为基于网络的在线结构化问卷来收集数据。对得到的信息进行分析,找出平均值和平均值。结果:共104名医生完成调查。参与者使用远程医疗的比例为93.3%,其中最常用的远程医疗选项是电话(27.1%)和WhatsApp视频通话(27.1%)。在此期间提供的主要管理是心理咨询(56.6%)。79%的参与者对通过远程医疗选项提供的管理结果感到满意,但主要关注的是伦理问题(36.2%)。大多数受访者(44.2%)认为,在新冠肺炎封锁期间,远程医疗是有效的。被调查者的性别、年龄、职称与远程医疗的感知有效性之间没有关联(P分别为0.88、0.4和0.07)。结论:尽管存在伦理问题,但远程医疗是封锁期间有效管理患者的有效工具。制定指导其使用的政策将确保信息的安全和患者的机密性。
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
Journal of Clinical Sciences
Journal of Clinical Sciences MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL-
自引率
0.00%
发文量
15
审稿时长
45 weeks
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