Telemedicine and COVID-19: Experience of Medical Doctors in Cameroon

Abstract

Introduction : Since the beginning of Coronavirus disease2019 (COVID-19), hospitals and health centres have become sites  of potential contamination and spread of the virus, and have had to reorganize  their working environments to limit infections of patients and health care providers while continuing to render health services for those affected by other ailments. The purpose of the study was to conduct a descriptive study to assess the practice of telemedicine among Cameroonian medical doctors through an electronic survey.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from May to June 2020 using an online data collection form designed on Google Forms. The questions dealt with socio-demographic data, the cancellation rate of appointments, the practice of teleconsultation, the frequency of telephone use, the means of teleconsultation used and the quality of the doctor-patient relationship. Participants comprised all physicians practicing in Cameroon using information and communication technologies

Results: A total of 253 participants were included, 56.5% of which were women. Physicians from the ten regions of the country were represented. Twenty percent (20.2%) of physicians practiced teleconsultation, of which 3.2% continued teleconsultations while in quarantine. Seventy-five percent (75.4%) of physicians used multiple communication modalities at the same time; the most used modality in combination with others was the WhatsApp android application. Forty-six percent (41.6%) of participants judged that the doctor-patient relationship was poor during teleconsultations.

Conclusion and recommendation: The practice of telemedicine is not widespread and is poorly framed in this setting. Regulatory authorities should put in place regulations and provide training to frame and ease access to the use of telemedicine