Perception of Health Care Professionals (HCPs) on Telemedicine in India

Abstract

With a nationwide lockdown imposed, there was a substantial drop in the in-clinic patient visits in 2020. Telemedicine gained momentum during the pandemic and virtual modes of teleconsultation were adopted by the health care professionals. A PAN India research survey was carried out to understand the HCP perspective on virtual consultation, ‘Telemedicine’. The survey aims to assess the behavioral shift in HCPs from face-to-face to adapting Telemedicine in clinical practice post-pandemic and foreseeing the future of Teleconsultation for Health Care Professionals in India. A PAN India survey was conducted among 154 participants. The questions were based on Telemedicine as a practice, barriers and influential factors for Telemedicine & the significance of guidelines published by the Telemedicine Society of India (TSI) in clinical practice. The survey included varied forms for the questions such as Multiple choice, Likert scale and Polar Questions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the outcomes of this research which will help to identify the influential factors in the uptake of Telemedicine practice by the HCPs and how the Telemedicine Society of India could help them with the guidelines. This research will further uncover the challenges faced by the HCPs during Telemedicine consultation in the post-Covid era, and identify potential platforms for teleconsultation, in a virtual environment.