Awareness, Knowledge, and Experience of Telemedicine in the United Arab Emirates

Background: In recent times, the usage/application of telemedicine is becoming ubiquitous, but the awareness and experience of patients about such important healthcare tool/option is not well explored in certain parts of the world (especially in the Middle-east and Africa). Besides, the knowledge patients and the general population have about telemedicine could also play a crucial role in its successful adoption or implementation. Thus, this research explores the aforementioned critical facets of telemedicine usage/adoption in a Middle-eastern country (the UAE) against the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The research employed a cross-sectional observation study approach involving 216 individuals. A convenience sampling strategy was used, and data were collected via online survey. IBM SPSS 28 and Microsoft Excel were used to explore the data in terms of both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Results: The results of the study indicate an association between increased awareness of telemedicine amongst the population and COVID-19 pandemic. It also suggest that privacy concerns are not influenced by demographics of individuals (e.g., age, educational attainment), but such concerns have significant impact on the likelihood of a future telemedicine service usage. Additionally, the study results indicate that patient satisfaction is linked to telemedicine service type, and the likelihood of using telemedicine services for future appointments. Conclusion: The research findings shed further light on other crucial details about telemedicine adoption in the UAE and pertinent challenges faced. It also proffer some suggestions on telemedicine implementation and plausible ways of enhancing awareness about such services.