Fikrie Anteneh, Daniel Dawit, Ermiyas Samrawit, Hassen Hawa, Seyoum Wongelawit, Kebede Seyoum, Wako Wako Golicha
School of Public Health, Institute of Health, Bule Hora University, Bule Hora, Ethiopia.
Central Ethiopia Regional Health Bureau, Medical Service Directorate, Ethiopia.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 3;20(1):e0311956. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311956. eCollection 2025.
Despite the immense potential of telemedicine, its implementation in Ethiopia and other developing nations has faced formidable challenges, leading to disappointingly low utilization rates. Therefore, this study sought to assess the magnitude and factors associated with telemedicine service practice among healthcare professionals in the pilot public hospitals of Sidama and Southern Nations Nationalities Peoples Regions.
Cross-sectional study was conducted from June 1-30, 2021 among randomly selected 407 health professionals working at Pilot Hospitals in Southern Ethiopia. A pretested and structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the socio-demographic, knowledge and attitude of Health Professionals towards telemedicine and health system-related data. Data were coded and entered using Epi-data version 4.6. and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Bi-variable and multivariable binary logistic regression was done to identify factors associated with telemedicine utilization. A P-value<0.05 and Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) together with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used to declare statistical significance. The data were presented by tables, text and figures and charts.
The study found that 34.6% (95% CI: 30-39.6%), 54.1% (95% CI: 49.6-59.2%), and 26% (95% CI: 21.6-30.2%) of the respondents have good knowledge, a positive attitude, and practiced telemedicine service, respectively. Age ≥ 36 years (AOR = 2.99, 95% CI: 1.18-7.60), being a medical doctor (AOR = 3.91, 95% CI 1.15-13.25), having good knowledge (AOR = 2.75, 95% CI 1.54-4.89), presence of an information sharing culture (AOR = 3.95, 95% CI 1.16-13.45), presence of a practicing platform (AOR = 3.01, 95% CI 1.06-8.53), and presence of government commitment (AOR = 2.52, 95% CI 1.09-5.82) were found to be significantly associated with telemedicine service utilization.
Despite positive attitudes, the adoption of telemedicine among healthcare professionals in the study area remains limited. Factors such as age, profession, knowledge, and cultural factors influence its uptake. To promote wider adoption and address challenges, governments should: implement comprehensive guidelines, training programs, and platforms for healthcare professionals to effectively utilize telemedicine technologies can accelerate healthcare delivery in the study area.
尽管远程医疗具有巨大潜力，但其在埃塞俄比亚和其他发展中国家的实施面临巨大挑战，导致利用率低得令人失望。因此，本研究旨在评估锡达马和南方各族人民地区试点公立医院医护人员中远程医疗服务实践的规模及相关因素。
2021年6月1日至30日对埃塞俄比亚南部试点医院随机抽取的407名医护人员进行了横断面研究。采用预先测试和结构化的自填问卷收集医护人员的社会人口统计学、对远程医疗的知识和态度以及与卫生系统相关的数据。数据使用Epi - data 4.6版本进行编码和录入，并导出到SPSS 20版本进行分析。进行双变量和多变量二元逻辑回归以确定与远程医疗利用相关的因素。P值<0.05以及调整后的优势比（AOR）和95%置信区间（CI）用于表明统计学意义。数据以表格、文本以及图表形式呈现。
研究发现，分别有34.6%（95%CI：30 - 39.6%）、54.1%（95%CI：49.6 - 59.2%）和26%（95%CI：21.6 - 30.2%）的受访者对远程医疗有良好的知识、积极的态度并实践过远程医疗服务。年龄≥36岁（AOR = 2.99，95%CI：1.18 - 7.60）、是医生（AOR = 3.91，95%CI 1.15 - 13.25）、有良好的知识（AOR = 2.75，95%CI 1.54 - 4.89）、存在信息共享文化（AOR = 3.95，95%CI 1.16 - 13.45）、存在实践平台（AOR = 3.01，95%CI 1.06 - 8.53）以及政府有承诺（AOR = 2.52，95%CI 1.09 - 5.82）被发现与远程医疗服务利用显著相关。
尽管态度积极，但研究区域内医护人员对远程医疗的采用仍然有限。年龄、职业、知识和文化等因素影响其采用。为促进更广泛的采用并应对挑战，政府应：为医护人员实施全面的指南、培训计划和平台，以有效利用远程医疗技术，从而加快研究区域的医疗服务提供。
