Survey of Views of Medical Students on Telemedicine Methods Developed in the Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Telemedicine is the use of new communication and information technologies to provide clinical services، health care، and transferring of information for care of patients from a geographical distance. The aim of this research was to determine the views of medical students on the development of telemedicine procedures in the Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences، Iran. A sample of 90 medical students was selected randomly in the first semester of study of 2011-12. The student''s views were assessed using a questionnaire of 33 questions consisting of three parts: demographic data، questions in five areas (organizational factors، technological factors، stakeholders، agents، information literacy، and environmental factors)، and student use of the various areas of technology (computers، internet، medical websites، medical applications، and etc.) In the questions concerning the scope of the organizational factors 65. 5% of students had a positive opinion in regard to «admission to the structural changes in the organization». Among the factors of technology 86. 7% of students had positive views on «broadband access»، in the factors of stakeholders 58. 9% on «empowering the private sector in implementing telemedicine»، in the information literacy 75. 5% on «students'' skills in using computers and the Internet»، and in the environmental factors 80. 0% on «economic factors for the plan». Students believed the role of economic factors (cost، appropriate technology، and etc.) to be more important than cultural factors (physician-patient interaction، culture، community support، willingness of the family، and etcetera).