The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physicians’ Use and Perception of Telehealth: The Case of Lebanon

Samar Helou, Elie El Helou, Victoria Abou-Khalil, Jad Wakim, Jeanine El Helou, Alain Daher and Charline El Hachem
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Samar Helou: Global Center for Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
Elie El Helou: Faculty of Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Beirut 1107 2180, Lebanon
Victoria Abou-Khalil: Academic Center for Computing and Media Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8315, Japan
Jad Wakim: Faculty of Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Beirut 1107 2180, Lebanon
Jeanine El Helou: Faculty of Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Beirut 1107 2180, Lebanon
Alain Daher: Faculty of Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Beirut 1107 2180, Lebanon
Charline El Hachem: Faculty of Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Beirut 1107 2180, Lebanon

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-17

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic forced physicians to quickly adapt and find ways to provide their usual offline services by using online tools. We aimed to understand how physicians adapted to the sudden need for telehealth and if their perception of telehealth changed due to their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an exploratory sequential mixed-methods study. We interviewed five Lebanese physicians and thematically analyzed the interviews. We developed a questionnaire based on the analysis results and administered it online to physicians in Lebanon. In total, 140 responses were collected. We found that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians engaged in more telehealth activities in the realms of telemedicine, public awareness, continuing medical education, research, administration, and teaching. They also expanded their repertoire of information-technology tools. Our results also show that there was a significant shift in the physicians’ perceptions, indicating greater openness and willingness to adopt telehealth services. However, a significant amount of skepticism and uncertainty regarding telemedicine remains, especially concerning its efficiency, safety, and the adequacy of existing regulations. Based on our findings, we offer recommendations for health IT policy makers, developers, and researchers, to sustain the continuity of telehealth activities beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: telehealth; telemedicine; perceptions; use; physicians; Lebanon; COVID-19; pandemic; change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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