Benefits and Barriers to Telehealth Utilization Perceived by Nursing Academic Staff and Care Providers in Egypt: A Mixed-Method Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Telehealth refers to the delivery of medical care or services from a distance rather than in person. According to Global Market Insights, the global telehealth market was estimated to be worth $56 billion in 2020. Aim: The purpose of this research was to analyze the perceptions of nursing academic staff and care providers about the benefits and barriers to the use of telehealth. Design: Concurrent mixed-method (quantitative-qualitative) design was implemented using an online cross-sectional survey. Sample: A prospective sample (788 nursing academic faculty and 794 nursing care providers) was recruited. Tools: (1): Questionnaires to assess sociodemographic and perception of telehealth. (2): The benefits and barriers to telehealth utilization were qualitatively assessed. Results: The mean scores of participants' perceptions of telehealth were positive (nursing academic faculty group: 54.25±13.78; nursing care providers group: 50.43±15.92). In terms of the usefulness of telehealth in providing health care to rural locations, the views of both groups were 98.4% and 86.2%, respectively. However, the main barrier was the lack of telehealth instruction in academic nursing curricula (75.4%). Telehealth was positively perceived by academic nursing faculty and care providers. Conclusion: Their perceptions on the benefits of telehealth focused on the development of new job descriptions and classifications, the effectiveness of disaster relief, access to healthcare for people living in remote places, and client support through reduced anxiety. On the contrary, the scarcity of personnel from the specialized health team, educational barriers, and technological issues were the main barriers. Recommendations: Incorporating telehealth into the academic program for nursing students and providing relevant techniques for use in capstone projects.