Telemedicine and information technology in health care management: Perspectives and barriers among the nursing students.

BACKGROUND

Telemedicine refers to using electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support numerous aspects of healthcare, including clinical care, patient and professional education and training, public health, and health administration. However, many challenges hinder the widespread adoption of telemedicine by healthcare providers. This study aimed to assess the perspectives and barriers in telemedicine and information technology in health care management among nursing students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 60 nursing students enrolled in the third and fourth years. The sample was selected using a nonprobability purposive sampling technique from students studying at the Applied Medical Science Colleges for Females, University of Bisha. Data collection was facilitated through a structured questionnaire, and the gathered data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. The study was conducted between August 15, 2022 and November 20, 2022.

RESULTS

61% of students believe that telemedicine will lead to a reduction in travel time, costs, and effort. Approximately two-fourths of the sample's perspectives revolve around concerns regarding privacy, medical errors, and camera comfort. However, more than 30% of participants agree that telemedicine will improve the quality of patient care, decrease waiting times, be beneficial for patient care in remote areas, and assist in providing appropriate information during emergency. 59% of respondents identified the lack of time or busy schedules as the most frequently reported barrier to using telemedicine. Following this, concerns regarding privacy, confidentiality, unreliable Internet connections, and inadequate knowledge about computer technology and Information Management Systems were also commonly cited as barriers. These factors were identified as the primary obstacles hindering the progress of telemedicine.

CONCLUSION

This study concluded that telemedicine is a critical tool to address the challenges of limited medical resources in healthcare facilities. However, reduced healthcare costs and waiting time and improved patient access to healthcare in remote areas all helped promote telemedicine implementation. In these remote areas, telemedicine has the potential to bridge this distance and facilitate healthcare.