Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions of the Benefits and Challenges of a Teleconsultation Service in the Amansie-West District of Ghana.

Objectives: A teleconsultation service was introduced in the Amansie-West District, Ghana, in 2010 linking health center-based community health nurses (CHNs) with a teleconsultation center (TCC) at the district hospital. This study aimed to assess healthcare professionals' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of this service and to identify possible areas for improvement.
Materials and Methods: Qualitative semistructured interviews were conducted with eight CHNs and three TCC healthcare professionals to find their views on the benefits, challenges, and recommendations for improving the service. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Results: Interviewees were generally positive when describing the use of the teleconsultation service. They were of the opinion that the service had improved the quality of care at health centers, thus reducing the need to refer patients to the district hospital. Practical problems, such as inadequate information provided over the phone, delays in responding to calls, and the additional workload for teleconsultation staff, were viewed as important challenges to the success of the project. Interviewees identified several possible options for improving the service through extension to other levels of the healthcare system or by adding additional functionalities to their phones.
Conclusions: Teleconsultation services have the potential to improve quality of care in rural communities. However, practical problems in the operation of the service have to be taken seriously as they threaten sustainability of the intervention. Adequate training in phone-based clinical reporting appears to be essential. Teleconsultation staff should be compensated for additional workload through a reduction of other work-related tasks.