Telemedicine and Neurology: A survey of Neurology patients in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

BACKGROUND Telemedicine has been recognized as a viable solution for addressing the shortage of medical professionals in developing countries such as Nigeria. Tele-neurology has the potential to provide remote consultations and care for patients with neurological conditions, thereby reducing the burden of travel and improving access to medical care. Despite its growing popularity, there is a lack of research on patient’s view on this mode of care delivery in Nigeria. This study was conducted to investigate patient's perspective on the use of tele-neurology in Nigeria. METHODOLOGY A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 398 neurology patients at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a chi-square test using p < 0.05 RESULTS Only 3% of our respondents had previously used telemedicine, with 78.1% of the respondents open to using telemedicine as a means of consultation. The disadvantages of telemedicine noted include limitations in assessing neurological status (94.7%), difficulty in explaining health conditions (84.4%), and lack of technical support (14.6%). The majority of respondents (96.5%) believe telemedicine will help in saving time. There was a statistically significant association between propensity to use telemedicine and time spent in the hospital (0.045), and time off work (<0.001). The propensity to use telemedicine was statistically significant to the use of email (0.001) and type of email address (0.001). CONCLUSION The findings suggest that there is a need for healthcare providers and policymakers to invest in developing telemedicine to improve access to care.