Abstract
Introduction: Telemedicine can be a reliable alternative for face-to-face patient care, yet its adoption remains slow and fragmented. Many barriers for broad application of this technology have been suggested, among which patient and caregiver acceptance.
Methods: We designed a survey to evaluate the opinions and beliefs of the broad public regarding telemedicine for emergency and chronic care. In-ambulance telemedicine for stroke was presented as a live showcase for emergency telemedicine. The survey was obtained via face-to-face interviews of visitors at the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZB) on World Stroke Day 2014. The online questionnaire was distributed among professional caregivers the UZB and among the broad public using social media.
Results: 642 respondents accessed the survey, of which 607 were aged ≥18 years and provided at least one answer. 20.3% of respondents were professional caregivers, 38.6% were visitors of the UZB at World Stroke Day and 41.2% were responders via social media. The questions and results are presented in the Table.
Conclusion: The results of this survey indicate that the broad public is ready to adopt telemedicine for emergency treatment (i.e. in-ambulance telestroke) and for chronic care at home. Possible issues with privacy are not perceived as a major objection and the majority of respondents is willing to participate in future teleconsultations.
Methods: We designed a survey to evaluate the opinions and beliefs of the broad public regarding telemedicine for emergency and chronic care. In-ambulance telemedicine for stroke was presented as a live showcase for emergency telemedicine. The survey was obtained via face-to-face interviews of visitors at the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZB) on World Stroke Day 2014. The online questionnaire was distributed among professional caregivers the UZB and among the broad public using social media.
Results: 642 respondents accessed the survey, of which 607 were aged ≥18 years and provided at least one answer. 20.3% of respondents were professional caregivers, 38.6% were visitors of the UZB at World Stroke Day and 41.2% were responders via social media. The questions and results are presented in the Table.
Conclusion: The results of this survey indicate that the broad public is ready to adopt telemedicine for emergency treatment (i.e. in-ambulance telestroke) and for chronic care at home. Possible issues with privacy are not perceived as a major objection and the majority of respondents is willing to participate in future teleconsultations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 353-354 |
| Journal | International Journal of Stroke |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | s2 |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2015 |
| Event | Annual Conference of the European Stroke Organisation - Glasgow, United Kingdom Duration: 17 Apr 2015 → 19 Apr 2015 |