Applications, benefits and challenges of telehealth in India during COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: a systematic review

BMC Health Services Research

Research

Gosetty Sri Ramya¹  Eslavath Rajkumar¹  P. Rahul¹  Prachi Kulkarni¹  N. M. Arunima¹  Aditi Joshi¹  John Romate¹  Aleena Elizabeth Thomas¹  Aswathy Gopi¹  Allen Joshua George²  John Abraham³ 

[1] Department of Psychology, Central University of Karnataka, Kalaburagi, Karnataka, India;Humanities and Applied Sciences, Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India;St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, Karnataka, India;

关键词: Telehealth;    Mobile health;    Remote consultation;    COVID-19;    India;    Systematic review;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12913-022-08970-8

 received in 2022-06-03, accepted in 2022-12-14,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundIndia, the seventh-largest country in the world and the second-most populated faces enormous challenges when it comes to healthcare. The country’s healthcare system was close to collapse due to the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth, which enables treating patients remotely, played a critical role during these challenging times. This systematic review investigates in detail the role of telehealth during COVID-19 and its application beyond the pandemic.MethodsDatabase searches on PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct and Web of Science were carried out for studies published on telehealth, and articles were included if they focused on any audio or video telehealth consultation during the pandemic in India. Findings were synthesised into three main themes: applications, benefits and challenges of telehealth services. Methodological quality was assessed using JBI critical appraisal tools.ResultsThe initial search on databases yielded 1143 articles. Of those, 19 met the eligibility criteria. Findings highlight the effective utilisation of telehealth across multiple medical specialities. Although insufficient technological infrastructure and other barriers due to the virtual consultation challenge the successful implementation of telehealth in India, it has the potential to bridge the rural-urban healthcare divide with cost-effective and easily accessible services.ConclusionHigh patient/provider satisfaction underscores the need to integrate telehealth into routine healthcare practices in the country. However, the review urges the government and healthcare practitioners to address the telehealth challenges with prime importance to ensure quality healthcare throughout the nation even after the pandemic.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

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