Attitudes of Patients with Benign Prostatic Obstruction Towards Remote Healthcare Services: A Descriptive Study

Purpose The aim of this study was to reveal the thoughts and attitudes of patients with benign prostatic obstruction about remote health care. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study included 152 outpatients who were admitted to Family Medicine and Urology Departments of Kirikkale Faculty of Medicine. To assess the attitudes toward the use of telemedicine services, we used “Attitude Scale for the Use of Telemedicine Services”. International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) of all participants were recorded by the researcher on the demographic form. Results We found that the attitude scores of college degree and higher education level participants were statistically significantly higher (p = 0.037). At the same time, in terms of attitude scores, those who were not working, living in rural areas and those who had less frequency of control had higher scores (p = 0.019, p = 0.003 and p < 0.001 respectively). A moderate, negative and significant correlation was found between the IPSS and the attitude scores (r=-,.383, p < 0.001). Conclusion Attitudes towards telehealth services are considerably higher, especially in patients living in rural areas and in older age groups for whom hospital admission is a challenge. These findings may help urologists and family physicians strategically direct future efforts to reach primarily these patient populations through telemedicine.