Literature Review: Telemedicine Implementation in Developing Countries

Telemedicine is a healthcare service that involves the practice of medical and information and communication technology by health professionals. There has been an increase in the use of telemedicine in various countries, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to explore the implementation of telemedicine in developing countries, the barriers faced in the implementation of telemedicine, and strategies or recommendations for increasing the use of telemedicine. The method used was a literature review that discusses the implementation of telemedicine in developing countries through the Scopus database. Based on a review of 38 articles, it was found that the implementation of telemedicine was carried out in several types of services and scope of services, including multimorbidity conditions and diagnosis or specific type of disease. However, there are various obstacles and reasons for non-compliance in the application of telemedicine in developing countries, including non-compliance due to changes in appointments, inability to conduct physical examinations, difficulties using technology and misunderstanding/miscommunication of information conveyed, especially in elderly patients. On the other hand, satisfaction of healthcare providers and patients becomes an evaluation indicator. Recommended improvement strategies include the development of innovations in implementing telemedicine, integrating telemedicine with existing E-health, as well as focus, provision of stimulus, and necessary guidance. The conclusion is that telemedicine has effectiveness that can be applied in health services according to the scope but still faces various complex obstacles that require multidimensional solving strategies.