Description
ABSTRACT
Introduction: This study surveyed online telemedicine services in the teaching hospitals in Edo States. The objectives of the study were to: ascertain the availability of telemedicine services, identify the types of telemedicine in medical services delivery in the teaching hospitals, determine the degree of application of telemedicine in the teaching hospitals in Edo States, determine the perceived effect of telemedicine on medical services delivery, examine the challenges associated with the use of telemedicine in the teaching hospitals and proffer possible solutions to the challenges of the use of telemedicine in the teaching hospitals in Edo States.
Design: The teaching hospitals covered are: Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Irrua, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and Central Hospital Benin city, Edo State. The descriptive survey design was adopted for this study. The population of the study covered all the 3,224 staff in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Irrua, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and Central Hospital Benin city, Edo State. The staff covers only the 591 Doctors, 1,515 Nurses, 267 Laboratory Scientists, 105 Pharmacist, 22 Physiotherapists, 23 Radiographers and 700 Clinical Assistants (Orderlies, Social and Environmental Health workers). A sample of 1612 staff was drawn for the study. The proportionate random sampling technique was used to draw a sample. 50 percent of the staff was drawn as sample from each of the teaching hospitals. The instrument that was used for the collection of data is a questionnaire developed by the researcher. The questionnaire was titled: Online Telemedicine Service Survey Questionnaire (OTSSQ). Descriptive such as frequency count (%), means and charts will be used to analyse the data collected.
Results: The result obtained showed that: only Teledermatology, Telenursing, store and forward and real time (interactive) are the telemedicine services provided in the in the teaching hospitals among several others – Telecardialogy, Teleradiology, Telepathology, Telepharmacy, and remote monitoring. Also, telemedicine are greatly applied within specific specialties, applied for clinical problems and applied for practitioner support in the teaching hospitals in Edo State. The result showed that the application of telemedicine provides some benefits such as: rapid and efficient communication, alleviation of imbalances in geographical allocation of resources, decrease in patient anxiety, increase of access to health facilities, elimination of real – time interaction, and increases convenience. However, inadequate medical practitioners, inadequate patient record, time consumption, insufficient medical records, difficulty in retrieving record, unfavorable government policy, poor funding, poor internet facilities, challenges to patient privacy, and inadequate of infrastructure are the challenges associated with the use of telemedicine in the teaching hospitals in Edo State. It was recommended that there is need for increase funding by the government to enable administrators of teaching hospitals purchase modern facilities and technology infrastructure needed for improved telemedicine services.
Table of Contents
ABSTRACT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Background to the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Aim and Objectives
1.5 Significance of the Study
1.6 Scope of the Study
CHAPTER TWO
2.1 Theoretical Framework: Theory of Cost Minimization
2.2 Telemedicine
2.3 Availability of Telemedicine Services
2.4 Types of Telemedicine
2.5 Degree of Application of Telemedicine
2.6 Effects of Telemedicine on Medical Service Delivery
2.7 Problems of Use of Telemedicine
2.4 Summary of Literature Review
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