Perceptions of Telehealth Services for Hearing Loss in South Africa's Public Healthcare System.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
; 19(13)2022 06 24.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35805438
ABSTRACT
Telehealth promises increased access to hearing healthcare services, primarily in areas where hearing healthcare resources are limited, such as within the South African public healthcare system. Telehealth for hearing healthcare is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, where physical distancing has been essential. This study aimed to describe audiologists' perceptions regarding telehealth services for hearing loss within South Africa's public healthcare system. This study was divided into two phases. During Phase 1, 97 audiologists completed an electronic survey regarding their perceptions of telehealth for hearing loss within South African public sector hospitals. Synchronous virtual focus-group discussions were conducted during Phase 2. Results indicated that audiologists recognized telehealth services' potential to improve hearing healthcare efficiency within the public sector, and most (84.1%) were willing to use it. However, telehealth's actual uptake was low despite almost doubling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prominent perceived barriers to telehealth were primarily related to hospital resources, including the unavailability of equipment for the remote hearing/specialized assessments, internet-related barriers, and limited IT infrastructure. An increased understanding of telehealth in South Africa's public healthcare system will assist in identifying and in improving potential barriers to telehealth, including hospital resources and infrastructure.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Telemedicine
/
Deafness
/
COVID-19
/
Hearing Loss
Type of study:
Qualitative_research
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
En
Journal:
Int J Environ Res Public Health
Year:
2022
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: