The changing trend of teleconsultations during COVID-19 era at a tertiary facility in Tanzania
Pan Afr. med. j
;
35(2)2020.
Article
in English
| AIM
| ID: biblio-1268661
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
the current COVID-19 pandemic has occasioned the increased adoption of telemedicine. This study reports the uptake and trend of a new teleconsultation service in a Tanzanian hospital.Methods:
this is a retrospective observational study that profiled requests for teleconsultations and uptake of the service between April 1, 2020, and June 30, 2020.Results:
two hundred and eighteen telephone inquiries were received over the 3 months. One hundred and sixteen (53.2%) individuals followed through with the teleconsultations. Paediatric (38.8%) and Internal medicine (32.8%) were the subspecialties with the highest number of teleconsultations. In a frame of 3 months, teleconsultation uptake was highest in May and lowest in June.Conclusion:
there was a steady rise and a rapid fall in requests and uptake of teleconsultation services over the period under evaluation. Lack of insurance coverage for teleconsultations was a significant barrier. We propose a re-education and reiteration of the benefits of telemedicine to all stakeholders. This is important for the current era and beyond
Search on Google
Index:
AIM (Africa)
Main subject:
Tanzania
/
Telemedicine
/
Remote Consultation
/
Tertiary Care Centers
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
English
Journal:
Pan Afr. med. j
Year:
2020
Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS