Utilisation of Online Platform to Promote COVID-19 Prevention in University of Jember: Staff and Students Acceptance

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic has hit almost all regions of Indonesia in the last year. Rapid changes in information, prevention protocols, and policies regarding this pandemic often cause turmoil and confusion amid its citizens. In a workplace such as a university, different demographics and characteristics of the individuals may influence approaches in accessing and understanding the abundant information available online. This condition necessitates the building of a comprehensive COVID-19 prevention system and information network by the university. University of Jember has developed a comprehensive online platform regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, managed by health professionals. This platform contains a direct assistance service, telemedicine consultation, education through social media, and a cluster tracing system. In this paper, we share how the online platform has been utilized and the acceptance among its users. From the 870 students, staff, and citizens around the university utilizing social media and telemedicine services, recorded in the first five months of the pandemic, 150 were randomly chosen to fill out a short questionnaire which had been evaluated for validity and reliability. About 40% respondents rated the platform as helpful, 43% rated as very helpful, and the rest rated it as less useful. The age distribution of the users also showed that younger users tend to choose social media rather than the telemedicine service provided by appointed health professionals, but older users tend to utilize the telemedicine more. In conclusion, the online platform to promote COVID-19 prevention is generally accepted, but a subsequent study needs to be conducted to obtain better understanding of how to optimize it.