ABSTRACT
Background: Telehealth is delivering health care services
remote from health-care facilities using telecommunications. Egypt is
aiming for Universal Health Coverage; this increases the demand of
telehealth in routine health services. Objective : to measure
the awareness of telehealth health care workers of primary health care
units and to evaluate the effect of an orientation program on primary
health care workers’ awareness and acceptance of application of
telehealth. Methodology: This was an intervention study among
health care workers. A self-administrated valid questionnaire for health
care workers was designed, the questionnaire consists of different
domains of knowledge in addition to advantages, disadvantages, security
and necessity perceptions. Each domain consists of Likert scale
questions of 5 points. The questions were scored as the worst answer (1)
and the best (5). A total of 109 questionnaires were filled by
participants who spent at least 6 months in primary health care units.
Then the health care workers were attended an orientation program and
the questionnaire was re-filled once more. A total of 104 was
recollected. Ethical issues were considered. Results: 50.5% of
health care workers were aware of telehealth; 66.7% of health care
workers with master’s degree were aware of telehealth in comparison to
31.8% among those with a diploma, 64.3% of physicians were aware of
telehealth while 9.6% of nurses were aware. The score of knowledge and
attitude increased from 130±23.538 to 156.49±18.456 after the
educational program. Conclusion: Half of health care workers
were aware of telehealth; the orientation improved the Healthcare
Workers’ knowledge and attitude.