Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to evaluate the perceived influence of telehealth on recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in remote areas in Mali.MethodsAfter 15 months of diagnosis imaging training and telehealth activities at four project sites in remote Mali, between May 2011 and August 2012, a 75-item questionnaire was administered to healthcare professionals to assess the various factors related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), especially telehealth, and their influence on health personnel recruitment and retention. Questions assessing perceived impact of telehealth on recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals were rated on a five-point Likert scale. Dependent variables were perceived influence of ICT on recruitment and retention and independent variables were access to ICT, ICT training, ICT use, perceived benefits and drawbacks of telehealth, and perceived barriers to recruitment and retention. A multiple linear regression was performed to identify variables explaining the respondents’ perceptions regarding telehealth influence on recruitment and retention.ResultsData analysis showed that professionals in remote areas have very positive perceptions of telehealth in general. Many benefits of telehealth for recruitment and retention were highlighted, with perceived benefits of ICT (p = 0.0478), perceived effects of telehealth on recruitment (p = 0.0018), telehealth training (0.0338) and information on telehealth (0.0073) being the strongest motivators for recruitment, while the perceived effects of telehealth on retention (p = 0.0018) was the only factor significantly associated with retention.ConclusionsBased on our study results, telehealth could represent a mechanism for recruiting and retaining health professionals in remote areas and could reduce the isolation of these professionals through networking opportunities.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12911-014-0120-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceived influence of telehealth on recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in remote areas in Mali
Survey instrument After a 15-month implementation phase, that took place between May 2011 and August 2012, a questionnaire modelled after another used in an earlier study in Quebec, Canada [17] and inspired by the Diffusion of Innovation Theory [18] was distributed to healthcare professionals in four district health centres that are part of EQUI-ResHuS project
On a total of 45 questionnaires distributed to doctors, nurses, midwives, medical assistants and other staff involved in the delivery of healthcare in the four district health centres participating in the EQUI-ResHuS, 39 were completed, for a response rate of 86.7%
Summary
The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceived influence of telehealth on recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in remote areas in Mali. Equity in access to basic healthcare and access to qualified, and to motivated, healthcare professionals remains a major challenge for many countries in subSaharan Africa [1]. This inequity of access to healthcare is even more accentuated in the case of medical specialties, which are almost nonexistent outside capital cities. The shortage of qualified healthcare providers and their uneven distribution limits access to care for populations and contributes to increased mortality [6] This situation is not specific to these countries only. The studies of Wade et al in North Carolina, Bagayoko et al BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making (2014) 14:120
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
