The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine worldwide. Positive perceptions of telemedicine include increased accessibility with remote consultations, efficiency, and convenience with time savings and scheduling flexibility. Patient engagement is improved with features such as video referrals and online appointments—mobile applications designed for medical care and emergencies. Telemedicine aims to overcome the challenges of overcrowded hospitals and clinics that still use traditional methods. The application developed using design thinking methodology has several key features:
- Registration: patients can register for an appointment through the app.
- Video call: patients can have a video consultation with a medical professional.
- Medical qualification: the app provides medical qualification services so that patients can be grouped according to urgency.
- First aid: an app that offers first aid guidance.
- Prescription management: an app that can help manage prescriptions.
- Emergency call: an app that makes it possible to make an emergency call to medical services.
The telemedicine app created by Amado and Arenas (2024) was tested with 150 patients, who showed high satisfaction with the proposed solution. Expert validation also showed an acceptance rate of 97%, with specialists expressing satisfaction with the system’s efficiency. This mobile application aims to provide fast and efficient medical care, overcoming the problems of long waiting times and lack of specialists in traditional medical environments.
On the other hand, some challenges need to be considered and overcome, such as technical issues, data security and privacy, lack of personal touch with patients, and inequality in access. So, in the future, there is a need for clear standardization and regulation, training and education for providers and patients, the use of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR), and efforts to address inequality of access with digital inclusion initiatives. By addressing these challenges, telemedicine can continue to improve healthcare quality and accessibility for everyone.
Reference:
Iman Permana, Hanifah Hanifah, Wahyu Pamungkasih, Syarifatun Mardliyah, Winny Setyonugroho, & Habib Abda Furqoni. (2023). The use of telemedicine in primary health care during COVID-19: perceptions from health care professionals. International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS), 12(4), 1580–1580. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v12i4.23386
Misael Lazo-Amado, & Laberiano Andrade-Arenas. (2024). Mobile design for medical care and minor emergencies applying telemedicine. Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 33(3), 1889–1889. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijeecs.v33.i3.pp1889-1902
By: I. Busthomi