Uddin Quadery Sheikh Elhum, Hasan Mehedi, Khan Mohammad Monirujjaman
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North South University, Dhaka, 1229, Bangladesh.
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Science and Technology Chittagong, Chattogram, 4202, Bangladesh.
Inform Med Unlocked. 2021;27:100797. doi: 10.1016/j.imu.2021.100797. Epub 2021 Nov 18.
In Bangladesh, the telemedicine industry is one of the few industries able to flourish in the contemporary era of COVID-19. But to thrive, the industry must know the viewpoints of both consumers (those who are interested in availing the services of the industry) and non-consumers to overcome deficits. This should be done to maximize profits and give optimal utility to users so that the industry can be made sustainable in the long run. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the economic perception of both the telemedicine consumers and non-consumers of Bangladesh and the actions required to be taken to optimize them. A survey was developed with 18 questions divided into several parts relating to the health identity of the respondent, the respondents' use of telemedicine, the analysis of the economic behaviors of the respondents with regards to telemedicine, and the consumer perception of the merits and demerits of telemedicine. The survey results show that about one-third has used some form of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the telemedicine users, 48% used hospital-mandated telemedicine services whereas 41% used mobile telemedicine applications. The survey states that 75% were satisfied with the service they received. The average payment made by the respondent population was 532 Taka, and 62% of them thought that the amount they paid was justified. In conclusion, the results of this survey can be utilized in making economically viable telemedicine models that will give optimal utility to its consumers and help forecast the next stage of the industry for betterment in the health sector.
在孟加拉国，远程医疗行业是少数能在新冠疫情这一当代时期蓬勃发展的行业之一。但要实现繁荣，该行业必须了解消费者（那些有兴趣使用该行业服务的人）和非消费者的观点，以克服不足之处。这样做是为了实现利润最大化并为用户提供最佳效用，从而使该行业能够长期可持续发展。本文的主要目的是分析孟加拉国远程医疗消费者和非消费者的经济认知以及为优化这些认知需要采取的行动。我们设计了一项包含18个问题的调查，这些问题分为几个部分，涉及受访者的健康身份、受访者对远程医疗的使用情况、受访者在远程医疗方面的经济行为分析以及消费者对远程医疗优缺点的认知。调查结果显示，在新冠疫情期间，约三分之一的人使用过某种形式的远程医疗。在远程医疗用户中，48%使用了医院规定的远程医疗服务，而41%使用了移动远程医疗应用程序。调查指出，75%的人对他们所接受的服务感到满意。受访者群体的平均支付金额为532塔卡（孟加拉国货币单位），其中62%的人认为他们支付的金额是合理的。总之，这项调查的结果可用于制定经济上可行的远程医疗模式，该模式将为消费者提供最佳效用，并有助于预测该行业的下一阶段发展，以促进医疗保健部门的改善。
