Utilization of Telemedicine by the Lebanese Physicians During Time of Pandemic

Abstract

Background: The use of technology in the medical field has been rising rapidly and offering, in many cases, an alternative to traditional ways of practicing medicine, especially when remote medical services are required. This background has laid the foundation for telemedicine to play a role in controlling the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Telemedicine has the potential to allow the facilitation of providing the necessary medical care to patients without exposing them to contact with other patients or the general population. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the utilization of telemedicine by the Lebanese physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional online study was conducted using LimeSurvey Ò through an e-mail-based questionnaire sent to physicians currently enrolled in both Beirut and Tripoli Lebanese Order of Physicians.Results: Four hundred one physicians completed the survey resulting in a response rate of 5.85%. Most of the respondents (N = 401, 75.8%) reported using telemedicine to provide health care services to patients without in-person visits during the pandemic. Among those using telemedicine (N = 304), around 40% reported that they started using it during COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion: Literature states that the average time of an inperson clinic consultation is more than 15 min. This implies that telemedicine can play a role in saving physicians' time; this conclusion is supported by other studies that consider telemedicine a time-saving method of providing health care services. Conclusions: Our study indicated that telemedicine is used by the majority of Lebanese physicians and that this use has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results showed that telemedicine does have a potential that can allow it to be integrated in the health care system and implemented on a national organized level.

Utilization of telehealth services in low- and middle-income countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative summary

“…These issues could lead to potential misdiagnosis. A survey in Lebanon assessed the barriers to telemedicine use, where 91.7% of physicians reported the inability to perform an adequate physical examination as one of the barriers [ 49 ]. Other technical issues such as wrong number registration, blocking of commercial messages, and no internet communication had further adverse impacts on telehealth service operations in low- and middle-income countries.…”

“…In many cases, they would need to explain and reexplain the health conditions and advice multiple times, for which physicians are not compensated. A study in Lebanon found that about 93% of participating physicians saw the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their income, whereas only 16.9% of those who used telemedicine revealed getting paid an additional amount to their regular salaries for telemedicine consultations [ 53 ].…”

Perception and Attitude of Lebanese IBD Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“… 31 , 34 Telemedicine in Lebanon is only picking up with the majority of Lebanese physicians using it during the pandemic. 35 However, only 9% of physicians used specialized applications for telemedicine, while the majority used regular phone calls, messengers, or emails. 35 Therefore, efforts must be made to develop such platforms in Lebanon.…”

Using Telemedicine in Saudi Arabia's Healthcare System During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…A global epidemic strikes around once per generation, creating disaster in healthcare systems around the world. Because epidemics aren't as common as other diseases, health-care providers have less experience with how to deal with them (1). In the past 20 years, three documented cases of animal coronaviruses have spread to people, leading to a serious pandemic like the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.…”