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Ghadah Alduhaimi

King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Saudi Arabia

Presentation Title:

Challenges of telemedicine implementation in patients with cardiovascular diseases: Insight from a single center during COVID-19 lockdown

Abstract

Introduction: Telemedicine is a desirable option for healthcare in many countries. The challenges of telemedicine in cardiovascular care are yet to be discovered. The COVID-19 pandemic offered an unprecedented opportunity to identify real-life challenges of telemedicine implementation. We sought to identify the challenges of telemedicine among patients with cardiovascular diseases using the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey-based study through a self-filled questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic data, type of cardiovascular disease, and difficulties faced by the patients during the COVID-19 lockdown. 
Results: 394 (60% male, mean age 51.4 ± 19.3 years) participated in the study. 30.3% had valve diseases, 26.4% had heart failure, and 24.1% had coronary artery disease. 45.6% reported difficulty with telemedicine during COVID-19 lockdown. Among those who have difficulties, almost half of the participants had difficulty with the cancellation of telemedicine appointments, and 15.5% had difficulty in getting medications. 
Conclusion: Cancellation of telemedicine appointments and getting the medications were cardiovascular patients’ main challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown. Telemedicine is a feasible option for the follow-up of chronic cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it should be implemented to increase the availability of specialized cardiovascular care over a wide geographical area.

Biography

Ghadah Alduhaimi is a resident in the Family Medicine Program in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She has published three research studies in the field of family medicine and has a strong interest in both family medicine and public health.