Perspectives and possibilities of telehealth medical consultations in primary care practices

  • Maria Miguel da Cruz Fonseca de Matos (Student)

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

Telemedicine solutions have a rising importance in health systems, on the improvement ofaccess to care and the provision of healthcare services. The COVID-19 pandemic increased itsusage, as teleconsultations could help reduce the spread of the virus, however, this should be lookedat as a long-term solution, since technology is increasingly present in healthcare. This thesis aimsto assess the awareness and perspectives of patients regarding video-teleconsultations, and thepossibility of this solution being present in Portuguese primary health care, substituting in-personconsultations.Combining evidence from literature and a sample of Portuguese patients, it was possible toanalyse video-teleconsultations and non-video-teleconsultations. Patients’ awareness on the videoteleconsultations was high (81,4% of the sample), and influenced by levels of education andincome, differing from the general lack of awareness described in several studies. However, theneed for more focused awareness campaigns was identified, which was in accordance withliterature reviewed. Non-video-teleconsultations had higher levels of awareness and use, whencompared to video-teleconsultations, similar to previous studies. Finally, physical interventions,consultations’ purpose, hardware availability and quality and value’s perception ofteleconsultations had a significantly influence on the patients’ opinion about the possibility ofsubstitution of in-person consultations for this video-teleconsultations. However, demographiccharacteristics did not affect, which may be due to the sample size.These findings show telemedicine’s potential on the progress of the provision of care. Yetthey still indicate the need for future research on patients and health professionals’ perspectives, and for strategic awareness campaigns regarding teleconsultations in primary care.
Date of Award12 May 2023
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa
SupervisorHenrique Martins (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Teleconsultations
  • Videoconference
  • Patients
  • Primary care
  • In-person consultations
  • Possibility
  • Substitution
  • Awareness
  • Engagement

Designation

  • Mestrado em Gestão

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