Abstract
Objectives.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the rapid integration of telemedicine services in various medical specialties, including gynecology. While telemedicine has been shown to be effective in certain conditions, there is currently a lack of research on the acceptance and satisfaction of gynecology patients receiving care through telemedicine methods. The aim of this study is to explore the attitudes and experiences of women receiving gynecological care through telemedicine methods in Latvia.
Materials and Methods.
A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2022 to January 2023. The questionnaire consisted of fields: socio-demographic information, experiences with telemedicine methods, and attitudes towards telemedicine methods. The questionnaire was distributed electronically via social media. Data were analyzed using SPSS.
Results.
112 Latvian women participated in the study, the mean age was 35.5 (± 12.2) years, with 68.8% (n = 77) living in Riga and 31.2% (n = 35) living in other cities. 75% (n = 84) of the women reported visiting a gynecologist once a year. 88.4% (n = 99) of the women reported having heard about telemedicine methods and 44.6% (n = 50) reported having used them, with 30.4% (n = 34) starting to use telemedicine methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most common method used was teleconsultation (58%,
n = 65). The most frequent reason for the visit was a consultation about health status (38.4%, n = 43), followed by therapy correction (17.9%, n = 20). Findings indicate that there is no statistically significant association between place of residence and utilization of telemedicine services, as determined by chi-square analysis (p > 0.05). Overall, 83.9% (n = 94) of the women reported thinking that telemedicine services
were useful.
Conclusions.
The study found that telemedicine is a well-accepted method for delivering gynecological care in Latvia and the majority of women think it is useful. However, this study has a small sample size and further research with larger samples is needed to confirm these findings.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the rapid integration of telemedicine services in various medical specialties, including gynecology. While telemedicine has been shown to be effective in certain conditions, there is currently a lack of research on the acceptance and satisfaction of gynecology patients receiving care through telemedicine methods. The aim of this study is to explore the attitudes and experiences of women receiving gynecological care through telemedicine methods in Latvia.
Materials and Methods.
A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2022 to January 2023. The questionnaire consisted of fields: socio-demographic information, experiences with telemedicine methods, and attitudes towards telemedicine methods. The questionnaire was distributed electronically via social media. Data were analyzed using SPSS.
Results.
112 Latvian women participated in the study, the mean age was 35.5 (± 12.2) years, with 68.8% (n = 77) living in Riga and 31.2% (n = 35) living in other cities. 75% (n = 84) of the women reported visiting a gynecologist once a year. 88.4% (n = 99) of the women reported having heard about telemedicine methods and 44.6% (n = 50) reported having used them, with 30.4% (n = 34) starting to use telemedicine methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most common method used was teleconsultation (58%,
n = 65). The most frequent reason for the visit was a consultation about health status (38.4%, n = 43), followed by therapy correction (17.9%, n = 20). Findings indicate that there is no statistically significant association between place of residence and utilization of telemedicine services, as determined by chi-square analysis (p > 0.05). Overall, 83.9% (n = 94) of the women reported thinking that telemedicine services
were useful.
Conclusions.
The study found that telemedicine is a well-accepted method for delivering gynecological care in Latvia and the majority of women think it is useful. However, this study has a small sample size and further research with larger samples is needed to confirm these findings.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 93 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Medicina (Kaunas) |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue number | Suppl.2 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2023 |
| Event | RSU Research Week 2023: Research Week 2023 Rīga Stradiņš University - Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia Duration: 27 Mar 2023 → 31 Mar 2023 https://rw2023.rsu.lv/general-information https://rw2023.rsu.lv |
Keywords*
- Telemedicine
- Attitude
- Experience
Field of Science*
- 3.2 Clinical medicine
Publication Type*
- 3.4. Other publications in conference proceedings (including local)