Telemedicine healthcare service adoption barriers in rural Bangladesh

Abstract

This article investigates potential barriers to telemedicine adoption in centres hosted by rural public hospitals in Bangladesh. Little is known of the barriers related to telemedicine adoption in this context. Analysis of data collected from rural telemedicine patients identified seven broad categories of barriers: lack of organisational effectiveness, information and communication technology infrastructure, quality of care, allocation of resources, health staff motivation, patient satisfaction and trustworthiness. Their significance is explored. This research is based on the quantitative analysis of a data set of 500 telemedicine patients, from rural areas in Bangladesh. A conceptual model showing the interaction of pre-determined classes of barriers was established and hypotheses set up and tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Exemplary barriers to telemedicine adoption were identified and confirmed (p