A study into the present and prospective adoption of telemedicine technology within the Maltese healthcare system

Abstract

Malta’s ever-growing population could put pressure on the Maltese healthcare system to meet the healthcare needs of the local and national community. Such challenges create a market for the deployment of advanced technological applications and systems, such as Telemedicine. A sub element of Telehealth, Telemedicine has become one of the various modern growing concepts in the healthcare sector. The technology can revolutionise Malta’s healthcare system by improving the relationship between health professionals and patients and it can enhance organisational and patient outcomes by limiting the transmission of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19.

The research study employed the use of a mixed methodological approach - quantitative and qualitative methods in the collection and analysis of the targeted data. Data collection tools included the use of questionnaires and interviews. The selection of research participants involved the use of purposive and virtual snowball sampling techniques. A total of 268 healthcare professionals or administrators participated in the questionnaire, and a total of 10 persons with managerial roles within healthcare participated in the interviews. The study subjects are from both the public and private health sectors of Malta. The methodological approach is critical in conducting an explorative study on the deployment of advanced technology in the administration of medical services.

The adoption of Telemedicine technology within Maltese healthcare institutions is inevitable. However, numerous barriers are affecting the seamless integration of technology in the administration of medical care. The in-service training for professional healthcare workers is mostly ineffective, as far as the skills required to adopt Telemedicine technology within existing healthcare workflows are concerned.