Telemedicine and eHealth Literacy in the Era of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Peripheral Clinic in Israel

Keren Dopelt, Nofar Avni, Yana Haimov-Sadikov, Iris Golan and Nadav Davidovitch
Additional contact information
Keren Dopelt: Department of Public Health, Ashkelon Academic College, 12 Ben Tzvi St., Ashkelon 78211, Israel
Nofar Avni: Department of Public Health, Ashkelon Academic College, 12 Ben Tzvi St., Ashkelon 78211, Israel
Yana Haimov-Sadikov: Department of Public Health, Ashkelon Academic College, 12 Ben Tzvi St., Ashkelon 78211, Israel
Iris Golan: Department of Public Health, Ashkelon Academic College, 12 Ben Tzvi St., Ashkelon 78211, Israel
Nadav Davidovitch: Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-13

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic mandating isolation, quarantine, and social distancing has accelerated and expanded the use of telemedicine. This study examines the extent of the use of telemedicine and the relationship between eHealth literacy and satisfaction with using telemedicine during the pandemic. A total of 156 participants from a clinic in a peripheral community in southern Israel completed an online questionnaire. We found that 85% knew how to use the internet for health information, but only one third felt safe using it to make health decisions. Furthermore, 93% used the internet for technical needs, such as renewing prescriptions or making a doctor’s appointment. Even lower use for telemedicine was found (38%) for consultation or treatment sessions. A positive association was found between eHealth literacy and satisfaction variables with using telemedicine (r p = 0.39, p < 0.001). Although respondents understood the benefits of telemedicine, they were not satisfied nor interested in online sessions after the epidemic’s end, preferring a meeting involving personal interaction. Young people and academics benefit more from telemedicine, thereby creating usage gaps and potentially increasing existing inequality. We recommend developing intervention programs, especially among vulnerable populations, to strengthen eHealth literacy and remove barriers causing skepticism about the use of telemedicine during and after the pandemic.

Keywords: telemedicine; eHealth literacy; internet; access; periphery; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9556/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9556/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9556-:d:632966

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().