A Study on Awareness and Attitude of Medical Staff towards Telemedicine in the Educational and Therapeutic Hospitals of Ferdows

Telemedicine is an important feature for quick access of patients to healthcare services. It seems important to understand the level of knowledge and attitude of the medical staff about telemedicine for its successful implementation. This study endeavors to determine the level of knowledge and attitude of the medical staff about telemedicine in the hospitals of Ferdows. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in two hospitals in Ferdows in the year 2022. The population was the medical staff. In this study, the census method was used and the research community was considered as the research sample. The data collection instrument was Rezaei et al.'s questionnaire consisting of four parts. After completing the questionnaires, the data were analyzed using descriptive methods. Among the participants, 39% had moderate knowledge and 40.3% had little or very little knowledge about telemedicine, however, there was a positive attitude towards telemedicine. 26.3% of the treatment staff had used this technology, with the telephonic consultation service as the most used. Sixty eight percent stated that the critical implementation obstacle was the lack of access to high-speed and high-bandwidth internet. The results revealed that the level of awareness of telemedicine among medical staff is low, but their attitude is positive. Increasing the awareness of the medical staff about telemedicine can be the most effective way for its successful implementation.