Korean doctors have become more tolerant of remote monitoring of patients as an increasing number of medical institutions introduced non-face-to-face treatment amid the prolonging Covid-19 pandemic.
However, most of them have yet to let their guards down on the possible introduction of telemedicine, a recent survey showed.
The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) conducted the opinion poll on 601 doctors and nurses last May and June and 933 patients from September to November to know about their awareness and acceptance of non-contact healthcare services.
According to the result, patients showed the highest understanding of digital healthcare with 50.8 percent of respondents, followed by nurses with 42.9 percent and doctors with 41 percent. The experience rate of using remote monitoring among digital healthcare was highest among nurses with 68.8 percent, followed by doctors (56.7 percent) and patients (42.7 percent).
Among doctors who had the experience of using remote monitoring, 85.3 percent said it is necessary, while the comparable rate was far lower at 60.8 percent among those without such experiences.
In the case of nurses, 94.2 percent of those with experience in remote monitoring recognized its need, but only 76.9 percent of those without experience did so. However, in the case of patients, the gap between the two groups was far narrower, with 86.2 percent vs. 78.7 percent.
Asked whether they would use remote monitoring in the future, 94.7 percent of doctors who had used it said, “yes,” but only 76.9 percent who had not used it made a positive reply.
On the other hand, 99.3 percent of experienced nurses and 94.7 percent of inexperienced nurses said they would use it. The comparable rates for patients were 94.2 percent and 85.6 percent.
Doctors showed the highest rate of experiencing telemedicine with 35.7 percent, followed by nurses’ 18.6 percent and patients’ 12.5 percent.
In contrast, only 44.9 percent of experienced physicians and 28 percent of inexperienced ones said it is necessary. However, somewhat higher shares of doctors – 66.4 percent of experienced ones and 42.5 percent of inexperienced ones -- said they were willing to use it in the future.
Doctors’ hesitancy contrasted with nurses and patients.
Experienced nurses and patients recognized the need for telemedicine, showing 84.1 percent and 77.8 percent of positive replies, while the corresponding rates for inexperienced ones were 75.5 percent and 63.3 percent.
“Doctors can have greater concerns and anxieties about telemedicine than nurses and patients because of their responsibilities about patients’ safety and treatment,” the institute said. “It will help reinvigorate non-face-to-face treatment if the government secures trust about the new system and dissolves anxiety by supporting medical workers’ use of various systems in medical fields and accumulating diverse empirical practices.”