Using social media-based telemedicine counselling to promote adherence to treatment plans after oral and maxillofacial surgeries in Nigeria

PurposeThis study aimed to determine the impact of telemedicine with WhatsApp on adherence to treatment plans amongst patients who have experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeries like implants, wisdom tooth removal, facial trauma and facial reconstruction.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers used a descriptive survey research design and sampled a total of 294 patients in Nigeria who experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeries 6 months before the study and provided responses that were used for analysis. The questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection.FindingsThe researchers found that telemedicine for counselling after oral and maxillofacial surgeries have a significant relationship with adherence to the treatment plan. The analysis revealed a significant interactive effect of telemedicine competence F(3,290) 11.423, p = 001 ? p2 = 0.038. The more skilful patients are at telemedicine, the more likely they are to engage in it and vice versa. The participants also preferred a combination of live and recorded interaction forms. It was also found that a combination of different message forms, like audio, text and video, predicts satisfaction with telemedicine.Originality/valueThis study has shown that social media are now playing important roles in health care delivery to patients, and this may continue to expand as societies evolve.