Knowledge, attitude, and Practices of telemedicine among the health-care practitioners during COVID pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: COVID pandemic created a difficult situation for the medical fraternity. Many health-care practitioners achieved their work through telemedicine. For delivering better patient care, especially during the pandemic, the present study was conducted to assess the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) of telemedicine among healthcare practitioners of our institution. Materials and Methods: A prevalidated questionnaire form containing 13 questions on KAP of telemedicine was circulated to health-care practitioners through Google Form by snowball technique. A total of 96 responses were collected. Descriptive statistical method was applied and results are expressed in percentages. Results: Out of 96 responses, 61 (63.5%) were from men and 35 (36.5%) from women. About 63.5% of health-care practitioners were aware of the term telemedicine, 22.9% were aware but not practising, and 13.5% were aware and currently practising telemedicine. Regarding the mode of telemedicine, 42.7% preferred video calling (Skype/hangout/WhatsApp), followed by 27.1% personalized website (HODO/Healzapp), 17.7% by text message (SMS/Email/Fax), and 12.5% for an audio phone call. With respect to taking consent, 59.4% expressed that consent is required and 40.6% expressed that consent is implied when the patient initiates the call. Regarding challenges in telemedicine, 83.3% expressed that clinical examinations cannot be done, 76% for connectivity issues, 55.2% worried about patient safety, and 54.2% for medico-legal issues. 53.1% of health-care practitioners would like to charge the same fees for telemedicine, followed by 27.1% lower fees, 12.5% no fees, and 7.3% would like to charge higher fees than routine. Conclusion: Telemedicine is essential for patient care, especially during a pandemic. Hence, National Medical Commission should incorporate telemedicine modules in the undergraduate curriculum for better patient care.