An exploratory survey of the applications of telemedicine in Ghana.
We examined the use of telemedicine at two major medical institutions in Ghana. Doctors and administrators were surveyed to assess their knowledge of computers and familiarity with telemedicine. The use of modern telecommunications and information technology products within the health service was also examined. Thirty questionnaires were distributed to staff at the two hospitals, one urban and one rural. Twenty were returned (a response rate of 67%). Although most of the respondents were computer literate, they were less familiar with telemedicine applications. Only a minority of the respondents were participating in an information-sharing network, transmitting information by fax or telephone, or had Internet access. Financial constraint appeared to be the major barrier to establishing information-sharing networks. Other constraints were technological and organizational. The respondents expressed an interest in using telemedicine, having access to health-care databases and specific telemedicine applications such as tele-education and videoconferencing. Staff in the urban hospital were more likely to be familiar with telemedicine and more likely to have access to information technology than those in the rural hospital.
College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago 60607, USA. darkwa@uic.edu
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D005869:Ghana; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel; D006780:Hospitals, Rural; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D012650:Self Disclosure; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*