Telemedicine Preferences of Healthcare Professionals in India during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Teleconsultations by Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) became an important mode of healthcare delivery during COVID 19 pandemic. This study was conducted to characterize preferences of HCPs towards telemedicine. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted on 211 HCPs. During lockdown period, there was fall in physical consultations and increase in teleconsultations. Majority preferred WhatsApp, Phone and Zoom calls. Sentiment analysis showed 42 % positive insights, 26 % neutral responses and 32 % negative responses stating that telemedicine has limited scope and is difficult to use due to factors such as difficulty in diagnosis, examination etc. Addressing these issues can indeed make telemedicine the mode for future.