Are we repeating the same mistakes? Perceptions of Telehealth

I'm always interested in international experiences of telemedicine. What has everyone else found beneficial? Or challenging? I came across this study from India where they surveyed physicians in Andhra Pradesh. The researchers were aiming to evaluate doctors' awareness, knowledge, attitude, skills, and obstacles related to #telemedicine.

I found a number of findings interesting:

❇️ Remote monitoring (30%) and video consultations (60%) were the services that were utilized most frequently. 75% of the physicians accurately recognized its prospective uses and advantages in the provision of healthcare.

This isn't surprising to me as it is in line with other places. Video #telehealth was most common and most recognized (probably as it's most in-line with in person visits).

Training and Education

❇️ 90% said there should be additional programs for education and training. A total of 85% expressed interest in telemedicine-related training classes and sessions.

❇️ 40% reported a lack of training as their top reason for not using telemedicine.

❇️ Only 30% were confident in troubleshooting technical issues using telemedicine software or equipment.

There is a gap in training. It is limiting who is using and how comfortable they are using telemedicine. This is such an easy fix that I still am shocked we have to say this.

Over the course of my digital health career, I've taught telehealth skills to all levels of clinicians. It still surprises me that this is not standardized and there is a need for education, whether CME or online training (anyone interested can find mine on my website).

Compliance

❇️ Only 50% were aware of the legal and ethical concerns of telemedicine. Approximately 40% were aware of worldwide telemedicine rules and best practices.

We spent time on this in the Telehealth Success book, we have an entire section on Compliance because of how important it is. While malpractice is low, we need to understand the regulations around it. Sounds dry but it was actually is much more interesting than we thought it would be!

The themes that resonated were the same themes I found important to highlight in my book. Like in this study, there is a high level of awareness (95%) and a generally positive attitude (80%) toward telemedicine among physicians. However, significant knowledge gaps will limit you - especially when it is understanding telemedicine law, how to do a successful visit, ethics, and international guidelines.

Every time I train someone, it still surprises me that some of this is still unknown to clinicians. One other aspect, not mentioned in this study, is ensuring that clinicians and patients feel connected over telemedicine. This 'soft skill' is what makes medicine and physicians important. It should not be undersold.

Future research should explore what adding these educational programs will do to perceptions of telehealth and to patient outcomes and satisfaction in telemedicine environments. I'd like to know what that will do.