Telemedicine as a counselling tool for nurses in Central Africa

Abstract

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Aim: Compare the use and trend of a telemedicine tool for clinical advice among nurses and other Cameroonian healthcare providers and explore its feasibility and accessibility. Design: A comparative observational descriptive study. Methods: The sample includes all telemedicine users who request advice from volun teer medical specialists in Spain on clinical cases through the telemedicine tool “diag nosis assistance” (DA). It consisted of a total of 296 Cameroonian health professionals (59% women), of whom 77 were nurses. The variables in which the trend was ex plored (2013–2022) were DAs entered by nurses versus other healthcare profession als, compared by primary specialty, comments and documents attached. Feasibility and accessibility were explored through an anonymous survey. Results: There were 2527 DAs between 2013 and 2022, of which nurses introduced 68%. There is an increasing trend in the nurse/other healthcare providers ratio, with significant differences in the chi- square of the linear trend between 2015 and 2022 (χ2 = 395.05; df = 7; p < .001). The probability that a DA was requested by nurses (PR >1) was observed in all years except for 2014, 2018 and 2019. The most tele- counselling requested by nurses was in the specialties of internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, and dermatology. The exchange of comments and attachments was mainly conducted among nurses (74.9% and 50.4%, respectively). The users surveyed considered the tool valuable for diagnosis, applicable, with limitations due to cost, Internet quality or lack of time and effective at reducing hospital referrals. Conclusions: Telemedicine for clinical advice has been used mostly and with increas ing tendency by nurses, mainly in internal medicine, gynaecology and dermatology, being a useful and feasible resource that can contribute to improving clinical decision- making by African nurses. Impact: The study addressed the problem of the shortage of health professionals in Central Africa and the search for alternatives that facilitate decision- making in this context. Tele- counselling tools through digital platforms that put Spanish specialists in contact with health professionals in Central Africa are mostly used by nurses work ing in rural health centres with a growing trend in their use. The research allows us to determine that tele- counselling tools constitute a well- accepted resource, which has a positive impact in environments with a shortage of human health resources, favour ing the safety of both the nursing professional, through support in decision- making, and the populations to whom they provide care, who benefit from a multidisciplinary approach to their processes. Reporting Method: The study has adhered to STROBE guidelines