INVESTIGATING PATIENT PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS E-HEALTH SERVICES IN CAMEROON

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The field of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has a lot of promise. Considerable progress has been achieved in raising the standard of public health services. Electronic health, often known as e-health, is the term used to describe the integration of ICTs in the health sector (Eysenbach, 2021). According to WHO (2020), it is the integrated application of information and communications technology for health. These days, e-health is crucial in helping health facilities overcome obstacles since its global policies support shared healthcare delivery with technology, thereby promoting efficiency, quality, and safety The American Telemedicine Association (2020),  refers eHealth as the provision of medical services remotely through the use of mobile technology, such as internet-based apps for smartphones. It has been demonstrated that eHealth considerably lowers the time and expenses related to tracking health status when compared to traditional community care without digitalised technologies (Shaw et al., 2018). 

Since offline contacts and the presence of healthcare practitioners are no longer required, eHealth lowers the demand for labour and physical locations (Dorsey & Topol, 2019). Because mobile devices may routinely and remotely capture medical data, there are further benefits such as lower hospitalisation rates (Bashshur et al., 2016) and less human errors in data entry (Hollander & Carr, 2020). When in-person medical visits were not practicable during the COVID-19 pandemic, eHealth provided remote therapy and consultation options, which significantly reduced patients' anxiety and sadness (Portnoy et al., 2020). This strategy turned out to be effective and successful. After the pandemic, eHealth has emerged as a critical tactic for resolving Cameroon's problems with healthcare accessibility. The nation is beset by severe regional inequalities and a deficient healthcare system. The key factor driving eHealth's significance in Cameroon is its capacity to get over obstacles relating to remote locations and scarce medical resources, especially in rural areas where access to healthcare is constrained. . According to Healy (2019), there is a pressing need to increase access to ICT-based health care services in developing nations since advancements in ICT and e-health solutions provide a range of alternatives for adapting to change and facilitating networking and integration. Moreover, the field of eHealth has grown significantly in the last few years, making it possible to treat chronic illnesses more successfully.

Concisely, Oyeyemi et al. (2020) claim that eHealth makes it possible for virtual consultations with experts in urban areas, which eliminates the need for patients to travel great distances in search of specialized care. By enabling healthcare professionals to see more patients in less time, it improves the efficiency of the healthcare system and results in shorter wait times and better patient outcomes (Owoicho et al., 2021). Furthermore, eHealth reduces hospital admissions and transportation expenses, which lowers healthcare expenditures and increases patient accessibility and affordability (Ojo et al., 2021). Through the use of telecommunications technology, eHealth systems make it possible for remote consultations, diagnosis, and patient monitoring, extending healthcare services to underprivileged groups. By facilitating prompt interventions and ongoing care, this strategy not only improves patient outcomes but also the efficacy of healthcare delivery. Therefore, a survey will be conducted in order to investigate patient perception and attitudes towards e-health services in Cameroon.

Statement of the Problem

It is worthy to note that currently, the government and healthcare players in Cameroon have recently grown more conscious of eHealth's potential to completely transform the healthcare sector. The goal of the National Health ICT plan is to incorporate eHealth into the country's healthcare system, emphasising its potential to improve health outcomes and attain universal health coverage. Furthermore, partnerships with digital entrepreneurs and telecommunications corporations have resulted in the creation of creative eHealth solutions that are customised to fit certain regional requirements, like telemedicine platforms and mobile health apps (Owoicho, Adukwu & Madukwe, 2021).

Nevertheless, obstacles including poor internet access, legal restrictions, and patient acquiescence persist in impeding the deployment and use of eHealth in Cameroon. Governments, healthcare organisations, and IT companies need to work together to solve these problems and make sure that eHealth solutions can be applied and expanded nationally in a sustainable manner. Notwithstanding these obstacles, eHealth's increasing acceptability in Cameroon highlights its potential to improve health fairness, change the way healthcare is delivered, and advance socioeconomic development in general. 

On the other hand,  there is conflicting evidence on the sources of health information. While some research contend that the availability and value of health information sources is inadequate, others anticipate benefits (Rosenau & Lako, 2018). Presenting health care information is challenging in any scenario since users can only comprehend a small quantity of information at a time and are quickly overwhelmed by the volume of information on websites. In a study by Damman (2020), patients may not feel qualified to use the information provided if they do not comprehend it, in which case they may seek information from other sources instead, such as the experiences of friends, relatives, or other trusted individuals. Higher educated people, for example, are more likely to reply to health plan report cards, according to recent research (Lako, 2019). In addition to variations in educational attainment, there seem to be variations among subgroups according to age, gender, and ethnicity (Harris & Buntin, 2018). 

Recognising that some people merely follow their general practitioner's advice rather than actively selecting their healthcare provider is also important. This obviously conflicts with a demand-driven health care system that places the onus of making decisions about their care on the patient (Allen et al., 2019). The accuracy of medical information and the inconsistency of data from various sources are other issues. Information about provider quality that comes from doctors, friends, and family is generally more trusted than information from government organisations, businesses, periodicals, pharmaceutical firms, and the Internet. Hence, it is in the light of these that the study seeks to investigate patient perception and attitudes towards e-health services in Cameroon.

 1.3  Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to investigate patient perception and attitudes towards e-health services in Cameroon. Specifically, the study will;

Evaluate the level of awareness of E-health services among patients in Cameroon.

Evaluate the factors that influence patient acceptance and utilization of E-health services in Cameroon.

Evaluate the challenges of E-health services from the patients' perspective.

Propose strategies for improving patient engagement and satisfaction with E-health services in Cameroon.

1.4  Research Questions

The following questions have been prepared for the study:

What is the level of awareness of eHealth services among patients in Cameroon?

What factors influence patient acceptance and utilization of eHealth services in Cameroon?

What are the challenges of eHealth services from the patients' perspective in Cameroon?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

H0: There are no significant factors influencing patient acceptance and utilization of E-health services in Cameroon.

Ha: There are significant factors influencing patient acceptance and utilization of E-health services in Cameroon.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study's findings will shed light on the opinions of medical professionals regarding the significance of ehealth in creating strategies and policies that support its effective uptake and integration into the Cameroonian healthcare system. Additionally, this study will address the aforementioned problems and limitations to encourage ehealth's wider acceptance in Cameroon. Ultimately, this will enhance healthcare efficiency, quality, and access across the nation. Moreover, it is going to be used as a literature review by other scholars. Expand on the results to investigate further ehealth-related aspects of the healthcare industry and add to the body of knowledge in academia.

1.7 Scope of the study   

The scope of this study is boarded on patient perception and attitudes towards e-health services in Cameroon. Empirically, this study will evaluate the level of awareness of E-health services among patients, the factors that influence patient acceptance and utilization of E-health services and the challenges of E-health services from the patients' perspective, and propose strategies for improving patient engagement and satisfaction with E-health services.

Geographically, the study will be delimited to some selected health centers in Cameroon.

1.8 Limitation of the study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. In addition, there was the element of researcher bias. Here, the researcher possessed some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was interpreted thereafter. The potential for all this to influence the findings and conclusions could not be downplayed. More so, the findings of this study are limited to the sample population in the study area, hence they may not be suitable for use in comparison to other schools, local governments, states, and other countries in the world.

 1.9 Definition of Terms

Health: refers to a state of physical, mental, and social well-being in which an individual is free from illness and injury.

eHealth: involves the use of digital information and communication technologies, such as computers and mobile devices, to access and manage health care services remotely.

Telemedicine: refers to the delivery of healthcare services and clinical information using telecommunications technology. This includes remote consultations, diagnoses, and treatments via phone, video conferencing, email, or other digital communication tools.

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