Abstract
CONTEXT: Telehealth has usually been observed to be the minor of the two compared to in-person health care. AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess awareness and attitude toward using telemedicine among diabetic patients in the Aseer region. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional approach was used targeting all accessible diabetic patients in the Aseer region, southern Saudi Arabia. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Data were obtained from eligible patients using an electronic prestructured questionnaire. The researchers prepared the questionnaire with the support of field experts and after a comprehensive literature analysis. The questionnaire was published online utilizing social media platforms by the researchers and their friends throughout the period from August to September 2023. All accessible and eligible patients in the study environment were invited to fill in the accompanying tool. RESULTS: A total of 786 diabetic patients were enrolled. Patients' age ranged from 18 to more than 60 years with a mean age of 40.6 ± 13.9 years old. Exactly 151 (19.2%) people used telemedicine for medical consultation, whereas 635 (80.8%) never used it. Regarding patient readiness and perception, a total of 67 (44.4%) patients had good telemonitoring readiness regarding the use of TM in their diabetic control. CONCLUSIONS: The current study showed that only one-fifth of diabetic patients used telemedicine for medical purposes. On the other hand, diabetic patients showed an average level of readiness and perception toward the use of telemedicine for medical consultations.