Knowledge and perception of telemedicine among medical students of the university of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Telemedicine has promising potential to address the challenges faced by healthcare systems in developing
countries, in providing equitable access to quality care. However, the practice of telemedicine is generally poor in these
countries. The success of telemedicine like any technology depends on numerous factors including users’ knowledge and
perceptions. Hence, this study aimed to examine the knowledge and perceptions of telemedicine among medical students at the
University of Jos.
Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study among 305 clinical medical students selected through a stratified sampling
technique. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of a 28-item 5-point Likert response scale was used to collect data,
comprising 13 items for knowledge, 8 for the perception of benefits, and 7 for the perception of ease of use of telemedicine.
Data was analyzed using IBM-SPSS.
Results: One hundred and eleven (36.4%) participants had good knowledge of telemedicine, while 113 (37.1%) had a good
perception of the benefits and 103 (33.8%) had a good perception of the ease of use. Respondents with a good knowledge of
telemedicine were about five times more likely (OR = 5.24, 95% CI = 3.15 – 8.69) to have a good perception of the benefits
and about eight times more likely (OR = 8.33, 95% CI = 4.57 – 14.26) to have a good perception of ease of use.
Conclusions: Few medical students possess desirable knowledge and perceptions of telemedicine, portraying a
gap in the medical education curriculum. Therefore, training and educational opportunities are recommended to improve their
knowledge and perception of telemedicine.