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Background <p>Telemedicine services encompass a diverse range of fields, including telenursing, telepharmacy, telerehabilitation, teleradiology, telepsychiatry, and others. Despite these advancements, low-income countries still lag in telemedicine adoption. The study aimed to assess the knowledge of telemedicine among students and clinicians while gaining deeper insights into clinicians' experiences—how telemedicine has influenced their practice, the challenges they face, and the opportunities it holds for a resource-limited country like Pakistan.</p> Methods <p>This study followed an explanatory sequential design. Participants were medical professionals, including MBBS students and clinicians (House Officers, Postgraduate Trainees, and Consultants) across three medical institutions: Islamabad Medical and Dental College (IMDC), NUST School of Health Sciences (NSHS), and Rawal Institute of Health Sciences (RIHS). Quantitative data from 5-point Likert scale questionnaires were analysed using IBM SPSS (version 21) with mean and standard deviation for interpretation. Qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews with telemedicine clinicians, guided by an interview guide, were analysed through coding, categorisation, memo analysis, and consensus building of audio recordings.</p> Results <p>A total of 817 students, 23 house officers, and 26 clinicians participated in the study. Students exhibited lower familiarity (mean 2.00 ± 1.03) and knowledge (mean 1.87 ± 0.99) of telemedicine compared to house officers (mean 3.08 ± 0.848 and 2.86 ± 0.86, respectively) and clinicians (mean 2.81 ± 0.93 and 2.69 ± 1.01, respectively). The Kruskal–Wallis H test revealed a significant difference in overall scores across the three groups (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), with students scoring distinctly lower (mean rank = 423.47) than house officers (mean rank = 615.70) and clinicians (mean rank = 587.47). The analysis of interviews led to the discovery of six themes: Clinical limitations, ethical and legal concerns, resource barriers, patient-related factors, future of telemedicine, and advantages of Telemedicine.</p> Conclusion <p>The study highlights a significant knowledge gap in telemedicine, particularly among students, underscoring the need for enhanced education and training in medical curricula. While clinicians demonstrate a better understanding and more positive perceptions, telemedicine’s growing importance in modern healthcare highlights the urgency for infrastructure development and policy support to facilitate its integration<b>.</b></p>

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Telemedicine literacy: an explanatory sequential mixed-method inquiry into awareness and experiences of medical students and clinicians in Islamabad

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月21日

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  • Memoona Mansoor,
  • Amara Butt,
  • Rehmah Sarfraz,
  • Shazia Imran,
  • Amena Masrur,
  • Mohsin Raza Khan

摘要

Background

Telemedicine services encompass a diverse range of fields, including telenursing, telepharmacy, telerehabilitation, teleradiology, telepsychiatry, and others. Despite these advancements, low-income countries still lag in telemedicine adoption. The study aimed to assess the knowledge of telemedicine among students and clinicians while gaining deeper insights into clinicians' experiences—how telemedicine has influenced their practice, the challenges they face, and the opportunities it holds for a resource-limited country like Pakistan.

Methods

This study followed an explanatory sequential design. Participants were medical professionals, including MBBS students and clinicians (House Officers, Postgraduate Trainees, and Consultants) across three medical institutions: Islamabad Medical and Dental College (IMDC), NUST School of Health Sciences (NSHS), and Rawal Institute of Health Sciences (RIHS). Quantitative data from 5-point Likert scale questionnaires were analysed using IBM SPSS (version 21) with mean and standard deviation for interpretation. Qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews with telemedicine clinicians, guided by an interview guide, were analysed through coding, categorisation, memo analysis, and consensus building of audio recordings.

Results

A total of 817 students, 23 house officers, and 26 clinicians participated in the study. Students exhibited lower familiarity (mean 2.00 ± 1.03) and knowledge (mean 1.87 ± 0.99) of telemedicine compared to house officers (mean 3.08 ± 0.848 and 2.86 ± 0.86, respectively) and clinicians (mean 2.81 ± 0.93 and 2.69 ± 1.01, respectively). The Kruskal–Wallis H test revealed a significant difference in overall scores across the three groups (p < 0.001), with students scoring distinctly lower (mean rank = 423.47) than house officers (mean rank = 615.70) and clinicians (mean rank = 587.47). The analysis of interviews led to the discovery of six themes: Clinical limitations, ethical and legal concerns, resource barriers, patient-related factors, future of telemedicine, and advantages of Telemedicine.

Conclusion

The study highlights a significant knowledge gap in telemedicine, particularly among students, underscoring the need for enhanced education and training in medical curricula. While clinicians demonstrate a better understanding and more positive perceptions, telemedicine’s growing importance in modern healthcare highlights the urgency for infrastructure development and policy support to facilitate its integration.