Abstract
Background & objectives Telemedicine is a promising tool for the delivery of remote healthcare services in the country. This study was conducted to assess the promoters and barriers for healthcare workers (HCWs) to adopt telemedicine using hub and spoke model for health care delivery in selected rural areas. Methods A cross-sectional study was undertaken using an online questionnaire, at the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) at Kaiwara, district Chikkaballapur and Avathi PHC- Devanahalli Taluk, Karnataka, which are adopted by MS Ramaiah Medical College Hospital, Bengaluru as part of their hub-spoke model of telemedicine. The study was conducted among Health Care Workers (HCWs)- consultants, postgraduate residents, interns, nurses who were posted at these facilities during the study period. Results There were 86 HCWs approached and 78 participated in the study. 73 (94%) respondents considered themselves to be having knowledge for basic computer use. Total 52 (67%) participants agreed that telemedicine eased connections with specialists at the hub and majority of patients appreciated telemedicine services. Out of the total 52 respondents, 64 per cent respondents agreed that telemedicine greatly reduced travel costs and helped cover a larger patient population, making referrals and prescriptions efficient. However, 16 (20%) respondents were nervous about using telemedicine services, 46 (59%) respondents felt that telemedicine could breach patient confidentiality and 36 (46%) of respondents felt that there could be loss of jobs to telemedicine. Interpretation & conclusions The findings of this study indicates that telemedicine model is feasible and has good acceptance among the health care workers for the delivery of health care in the selected rural settings. Most respondents were positive that using telemedicine would make specialised healthcare more accessible in rural settings and improve digital health record management.