A Study on Telemedicine Facility at a Tertiary care hospital in South India

Until COVID-19, telemedicine was considered a futuristic and experimental mode of healthcare services. The purpose of this study is to determine the telemedicine facility's usage pattern as well as the opinions of telemedicine users in the study setting. This survey interview method study was conducted from March to May 2010 at a tertiary care hospital as a telemedicine nodal center with five telemedicine centers. Thirty patients and twenty doctors were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire and the judgemental sampling method. As secondary data sources, previous records and various other data sources were gathered. The data was gathered and analyzed in MS Excel using basic statistical tools. The study setting telemedicine usage for the last five years was found to be very effective. The current study depicts the telemedicine facility of a tertiary care hospital in South India that has been providing a very effective telemedicine service for the past five years. Telemedicine is underutilized due to a lack of user awareness. In terms of image, video, and audio quality, as well as transmission speed, the study setting provides a good user experience. Patients are also pleased with the services in terms of treatment changes and service quality. Patients are less aware of telemedicine.