Table 7 Challenges of Telehealth Implementation During COVID-19
High-Income Countries (HICs) | ||
Year | Author(s) | Key Findings |
2022 | Zaman et al., [39] | Although telehealth interventions that were designed to help people self-manage chronic diseases demonstrated positive effects, barriers to using telehealth interventions in older adults were identified and some were: knowledge gaps, lack of willingness to adopt new skills, and reluctance to technology use. |
2021 | Leone et al., [40] | A scoping review conducted in the UK showed that there were no established uniform guidelines for telehealth implementation. |
2021 | Naito et al., [41] | Although findings support the rapid adoption of telehealth in clinical care delivery in North America, the implementation of telehealth has faced critical challenges such as variations in state licensure requirements for telehealth, disparities in access to telehealth among disadvantaged populations, lack of consistency among individual investigational review boards (IRBs) on telehealth studies. |
2020 | Kho et al., [42] | The implementation of telehealth services often result in challenges stemming from the lack of attention to change management. |
Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) | ||
2020 | Zobair et al., [43] | In a study conducted in rural Bangladesh, exemplary barriers to telehealth adoption that were identified and confirmed (p<0.01) were; lack of organizational effectiveness, health staff motivation, patient satisfaction, and trustworthiness. Lack of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) infrastructures and allocation of resources were identified as indirect barriers. |
2022 | Haroon et al., [44] | Telehealth system vulnerabilities may result in inappropriate access to patient information, medical device malfunction, or breakdown of health services that are provided, which may result in ethical and legal issues. |
2022 | Poonsuph, [45] | Existing telehealth services in Thailand is limited to only fundamental medical consultation services. |
2021 | Mahdi et al., [46] | Lack of governance and stakeholder support, lack of effective logistical and clinical procedures, and patients’ ability to adapt to telehealth care are the barriers to the mass adoption of telehealth services in Pakistan. |