Ashfaq Ahsan, Memon Shehzeen F, Zehra Ayesha, Barry Samrana, Jawed Huzema, Akhtar Maryam, Kirmani Wajeeha, Malik Faaiz, Khawaja Adina W, Barry Hamama, Saiyid Hadi, Farooqui Nimra, Khalid Shazra, Abbasi Komal, Siddiqi Rabbia
Internal Medicine, Jinnah Sindh Medical University (SMC), Karachi, PAK.
Internal Medicine, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, PAK.
Cureus. 2020 Feb 9;12(2):e6927. doi: 10.7759/cureus.6927.
Background Telemedicine is an affordable use of information and communication technology (ICT) to enable long-distance patient care and health care services. While the developed world continues to take advantage of this technology, its concept remains new to Pakistan. This study aims to assess the knowledge and perceptions regarding telemedicine among health care professionals in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out among doctors employed in the public health sector in Karachi from June 2018 to August 2018. Data were collected using a self-designed well-structured questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale, built after an extensive literature review. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 22. Categorical data were reported as frequencies and percentages. Results A total of 224 doctors, working in the Department of Internal Medicine (27.6%), Pediatrics (9.8%), Cardiology (6.6%), Gynecology (5.35%), Neurology (5.8%), and other specialties (44.6%), participated in the study. A total of 80.7 % of the doctors were aware of the definition of telemedicine. A total of 28.1% of them believed telemedicine to be effective in providing faster medical care while 23.2% thought of it as a means of reducing the white coat syndrome. A total of 42.9% believed that telemedicine disrupts the doctor-patient relationship and causes a breach of patient privacy. A total of 34.8% of the doctors favored the idea of introducing national standards for practicing telemedicine while 33.5% of doctors also agreed that providing a legal explanation of telemedicine to patients was of paramount importance. Poverty and lack of education (90.6%) was thought to be the biggest barrier to the practice of telemedicine in the developing world. Conclusions The knowledge regarding telemedicine among doctors in Karachi was found to be average. However, the perceptions about and attitude towards the introduction and implementation of this new technology were welcomed by the majority of participants with an emphasis on increasing awareness. Conferences and workshops are needed to increase knowledge about telemedicine in Pakistan.
背景 远程医疗是一种经济实惠地利用信息通信技术（ICT）来实现远程患者护理和医疗服务的方式。虽然发达国家继续利用这项技术，但其概念对巴基斯坦来说仍然是新的。本研究旨在评估巴基斯坦卡拉奇医疗保健专业人员对远程医疗的知识和看法。方法 这项横断面研究于2018年6月至2018年8月在卡拉奇公共卫生部门工作的医生中进行。数据收集使用经过广泛文献综述后设计的、结构良好的五点李克特量表自填式问卷。使用SPSS 22版进行统计分析。分类数据以频率和百分比报告。结果 共有224名医生参与了研究，他们分别在内科（27.6%）、儿科（9.8%）、心脏病学（6.6%）、妇科（5.35%）、神经科（5.8%）和其他专科（44.6%）工作。共有80.7%的医生知晓远程医疗的定义。其中共有28.1%的人认为远程医疗在提供更快的医疗护理方面有效，而23.2%的人认为它是减少“白大褂综合征”的一种手段。共有42.9%的人认为远程医疗会破坏医患关系并导致患者隐私泄露。共有34.8%的医生赞成引入远程医疗执业国家标准的想法，而33.5%的医生也同意向患者提供远程医疗的法律解释至关重要。贫困和教育程度低（90.6%）被认为是发展中国家实施远程医疗的最大障碍。结论 发现卡拉奇医生对远程医疗的知识水平一般。然而，大多数参与者对引入和实施这项新技术的看法和态度是欢迎的，同时强调提高认识。需要举办会议和研讨会来增加巴基斯坦对远程医疗的了解。
