The Indian Practitioner

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

A Narrative Review on Telehealth Services Adoption in Rural Areas and Related Barriers to Telehealth in India - Technological, Regional, Cultural, and Linguistics


Affiliations
1 Student, Institute of Health Management and Research, Bangalore, India
2 Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Management and Research, Bangalore, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


With the use of Telehealth, specialty services can be conceivably doable for rural healthcare facilities rather than staffing with specialty and subspecialty providers. Telehealth allows specialists and subspecialists to visit rural cases, perfecting access as well as providing a wider range of healthcare services available to rural communities via telemedicine for various specialties. The primary objective of this paper is to understand telemedicine services and the challenges in implementing the same in rural areas of India. Databases like PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar were used for document searches. Further analysis of the selected studies was done on the basis of study design sample size, methodology, and outcomes. From the document search, 987 articles were found and 18 were selected. Out of the studies selected 11 articles were conducted in rural areas and 7 articles were regarding technological advancement in telehealth. Providers and public health units can use telehealth, tele pharmacy, and RPM services to communicate with patients and citizens in their homes and provide them with the benefits. Factors hindering the growth of telemedicine are privacy concerns, reluctance towards adoption of advances in technology, unavailability of technological infrastructure, bandwidth issues, cost-effectiveness, legal concerns, etc. Study results show that to ensure high-quality healthcare across the country, healthcare professionals should prioritize addressing the telehealth challenges.

Keywords

Telehealth, Remote Patient Monitoring, Tele pharmacy, Healthcare
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Cortelyou-Ward, K., Atkins, D. N., Noblin, A., Rotarius, T., White, P., & Carey, C. (2020). Navigating the Digital Divide: Barriers to Telehealth in Rural Areas. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 31(4), 1546–1556.

  • Casey, M., Elias, W., Knudson, A., & Gregg, W. (2008). Telehealth Use in Rural Healthcare. Rural Health Information Hub, 2(11), 1–7.

  • Cui, F., Ma, Q., He, X., Zhai, Y., Zhao, J., Chen, B., Sun, D., Shi, J., Cao, M., & Wang, Z. (2020). Implementation and Application of Telemedicine in China: Cross-Sectional Study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 8(10), e18426. https://doi. org/10.2196/18426

  • Singh, R., Mathiassen, L., Stachura, M. E., & Astapova, E. V. (2010). Sustainable Rural Telehealth Innovation: A Public Health Case Study: Sustainable Rural Telehealth Innovation. Health Services Research, 45(4), 985–1004.

  • Pathak, S., Haynes, M., Qato, D. M., & Urick, B. Y. (2020). Telepharmacy and Quality of Medication Use in Rural Areas, 2013–2019. Preventing Chronic Disease, 17, 200012. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.200012

  • Naik, N., Ibrahim, S., Sircar, S., Patil, V., Hameed, B. M. Z., Rai, B. P., Chłosta, P., & Somani, B. K. (2022). Attitudes and perceptions of outpatients towards adoption of telemedicine in healthcare during COVID-19 pandemic. Irish journal of medical science, 191(4), 1505–1512. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s11845-021-02729-6

  • Ullas, S., Pradeep, M., Surendran, S., Ravikumar, A., Bastine, A. M., Prasad, A., & Mohan, A. (2021). Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Paradigm Shift in Non- Communicable Disease Management? - A Cross-Sectional Survey from a Quaternary-Care Center in South India. Patient preference and adherence, 15, 2715–2723. https://doi. org/10.2147/PPA.S332636

  • Mohanan, M., Giardili, S., Das, V., Rabin, T.L., Raj, S.S., Schwartz, J.I., Seth, A., Goldhaber-Fiebert, J.D., Miller, G., & Vera-Hernandez, M. (2017). Evaluation of a social franchising and telemedicine programme and the care provided for childhood diarrhoea and pneumonia, Bihar, India. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 95, 343 - 352E.

  • Barnett, M. L., Huskamp, H. A., Busch, A. B., Uscher-Pines, L., Chaiyachati, K. H., & Mehrotra, A. (2021). Trends in Outpatient Telemedicine Utilization Among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries, 2010 to 2019. JAMA health forum, 2(10), e213282. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2021.3282

  • Abubakar, A., & Sinclair, J. (2020). The Emerging Role of Community Pharmacists in Remote Patient Monitoring Services. Pharmacy, 8(3), 166.

  • Coffey, J. D., Christopherson, L. A., Williams, R. D., Gathje, S. R., Bell, S. J., Pahl, D. F., Manka, L., Blegen, R. N., Maniaci, M. J., Ommen, S. R., & Haddad, T. C. (2022). Development and implementation of a nurse-based remote patient monitoring program for ambulatory disease management. Frontiers in digital health, 4, 1052408. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fdgth.2022.1052408

  • Khairat S, Liu S, Zaman T, Edson B, Gianforcaro R. Factors Determining Patients’ Choice Between Mobile Health and Telemedicine: Predictive Analytics Assessment. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2019 Jun 8;7(6):e13772. doi: 10.2196/13772. PMID: 31199332; PMCID: PMC6592402.

  • Taha AR, Shehadeh M, Alshehhi A, Altamimi T, Housser E, Simsekler MCE, Alfalasi B, Al Memari S, Al Hosani F, Al Zaabi Y, Almazroui S, Alhashemi H, Alhajri N. The integration of mHealth technologies in telemedicine during the COVID-19 era: A cross-sectional study. PLoS One. 2022 Feb 24;17(2):e0264436. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264436. PMID: 35202424; PMCID: PMC8870491.

  • Jain, S., Agarwal, A., Bhardwaj, A., Lakshmi, P., Singh, M., Chauhan, A., & Singh, M. (2022). Remote Monitoring and Holistic Care of Home-Isolated COVID-19 Positive Healthcare Workers Through Digital Technology During the Omicron (B1.1.529) Wave: A Prospective Cohort Study From India. Frontiers in public health, 10, 936000. https://doi. org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.936000

  • Omboni S. (2019). Connected Health in Hypertension Management. Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine, 6, 76. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2019.00076

  • Liu, J., Liu, S., Zheng, T., & Bi, Y. (2021). Physicians’ Perspectives of Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China: Qualitative Survey Study. JMIR medical informatics, 9(6), e26463. https://doi.org/10.2196/26463

  • Muflih, S. M., Al-Azzam, S., Abuhammad, S., Jaradat, S. K., Karasneh, R., & Shawaqfeh, M. S. (2021). Pharmacists’ experience, competence and perception of telepharmacy technology in response to COVID-19. International journal of clinical practice, 75(7), e14209. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcp.14209

  • Paul, D. L., & McDaniel, R. R., Jr (2016). Facilitating telemedicine project sustainability in medically underserved areas: a healthcare provider participant perspective. BMC health services research, 16, 148. https://do.


Abstract Views: 170

PDF Views: 0




  • A Narrative Review on Telehealth Services Adoption in Rural Areas and Related Barriers to Telehealth in India - Technological, Regional, Cultural, and Linguistics

Abstract Views: 170  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Arun S.
Student, Institute of Health Management and Research, Bangalore, India
Sidheshkumar Kesarwani
Student, Institute of Health Management and Research, Bangalore, India
Subodh S. Satheesh
Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Management and Research, Bangalore, India

Abstract


With the use of Telehealth, specialty services can be conceivably doable for rural healthcare facilities rather than staffing with specialty and subspecialty providers. Telehealth allows specialists and subspecialists to visit rural cases, perfecting access as well as providing a wider range of healthcare services available to rural communities via telemedicine for various specialties. The primary objective of this paper is to understand telemedicine services and the challenges in implementing the same in rural areas of India. Databases like PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar were used for document searches. Further analysis of the selected studies was done on the basis of study design sample size, methodology, and outcomes. From the document search, 987 articles were found and 18 were selected. Out of the studies selected 11 articles were conducted in rural areas and 7 articles were regarding technological advancement in telehealth. Providers and public health units can use telehealth, tele pharmacy, and RPM services to communicate with patients and citizens in their homes and provide them with the benefits. Factors hindering the growth of telemedicine are privacy concerns, reluctance towards adoption of advances in technology, unavailability of technological infrastructure, bandwidth issues, cost-effectiveness, legal concerns, etc. Study results show that to ensure high-quality healthcare across the country, healthcare professionals should prioritize addressing the telehealth challenges.

Keywords


Telehealth, Remote Patient Monitoring, Tele pharmacy, Healthcare

References