TELEMEDICINE ACCEPTABILITY IN SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA: ITS PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES

The use of advanced technology to deliver healthcare services at a distance has proven to be one of the defining medical revolutions of the 21st century. With the unwieldy healthcare system under scrutiny, telemedicine can be one of the answers for increasing access and at the same time decreasing the cost of healthcare service delivery. Nevertheless, employing the services of telemedicine comes with a cost though its benefits transcend any cost that may be accrued. This paper presents a report of an evaluation carried out in the south western states of Nigeria, the report reveals the extent to which medical facilities in south western Nigeria has embraced telemedicine, its prospect and challenges. Structured questionnaires and interviews were used to elicit information from medical professionals who were recruited into the study using a convenience sampling method. Results obtained after analyzing the evaluation results showed that despite the awareness of telemedicine by medical practitioners in south western Nigeria, only few medical facilities have integrated telemedicine into their services. Keywords: e-health, Telemedicin