A comparison of the characteristics of adult medicine patients seeking telemedicine consultations versus in-person consultations in a Philippine public hospital

Abstract

Background

Telemedicine employs the use of technology to increase access to health care. This is especially relevant in developing countries where accessibility is an important issue. In developed countries, studies have shown that despite greater availability and accessibility, there are still disparities in telemedicine use. In the Philippines, however, it is unknown what factors are related to telemedicine use since its underutilization precludes proper characterization of telemedicine patients. We sought to compare the characteristics of telemedicine patients and patients consulting in-person in the internal medicine outpatient department of a Philippine public hospital.

Methods

This is a retrospective descriptive study. Chart reviews were done for patients who consulted from May 2021 to July 2021. They were classified as either having telemedicine consults only or having in-person consults only. Each group was characterized and compared according to demographics, socioeconomic characteristics, health behaviors, and reasons for consultation.

Results

Unadjusted analyses showed that younger, single, or employed individuals were more likely to use telemedicine. However, in adjusted analyses, no demographic factors were associated with telemedicine use. Only the patient type and medical concern were significantly different between patient groups in this public hospital setting. New patients and those consulting for clearance/referral purposes or endocrine-related symptoms were more likely to seek teleconsults.

Conclusions

The findings showed which patients are more likely to use telemedicine in the Philippines. Continued telemedicine use for these patients should be explored to complement in-person medical care.

Keywords:

• Internal medicine
• outpatient department
• Philippines
• public hospital
• telemedicine

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge the Philippine General Hospital for allowing them to conduct this research. They would also like to thank Ms. Camille Audrey Calacday, Mr. Nell Rembrandt Cacho, and Dr. Eloina Faye Gampoy for their help in the data processing portion of this study and Mr. Wilmar Mangapot for facilitating the statistical analysis in this study.

Disclosure statement/Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health-University of the Philippines Manila (NIH-UPM): NIH-UPM Research Grant for Faculty and REPS (NIH 2022-008). The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health-University of the Philippines Manila (NIH-UPM): NIH-UPM Research Grant for Faculty and REPS (NIH 2022-008). The authors report no conflicts of interest.