Assessing the Availability of Teleconsultation and the Extent of Its Use in Malaysian Public Primary Care Clinics: Cross-sectional Study

Sock Wen Ng; Wen Yea Hwong; Masliyana Husin; Norazida Ab Rahman; Nazrila Hairizan Nasir; Kawselyah Juval; Sheamini Sivasampu

doi:10.2196/34485

Assessing the Availability of Teleconsultation and the Extent of Its Use in Malaysian Public Primary Care Clinics: Cross-sectional Study

JMIR Form Res. 2022 May 9;6(5):e34485. doi: 10.2196/34485.

Authors

Sock Wen Ng¹, Wen Yea Hwong^{1

2}, Masliyana Husin¹, Norazida Ab Rahman^{1

2}, Nazrila Hairizan Nasir³, Kawselyah Juval³, Sheamini Sivasampu¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Clinical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Malaysia.
² Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
³ Family Health Development Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

PMID: 35532973
PMCID: PMC9127641
DOI: 10.2196/34485

Abstract

Background: The integration of teleconsultation into health care systems as a complement to existing approaches to care is growing rapidly. There is, however, limited information on the extent of its implementation across low- and middle-income countries.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the availability and the extent of teleconsultation in Malaysian primary care clinics.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of public primary care clinics in Malaysia was conducted between November 2020 and December 2020. All clinics in Malaysia that see more than 300 daily patients were recruited. A web-based, self-administered questionnaire including questions on availability of the service, whether it uses video or telephone, and the types of services it provides was distributed to the medical officer in charge of each clinic.

Results: In total, 97.6% (249/255) of the clinics responded. Out of these clinics, 45.8% (114/249) provided teleconsultation. A majority of the clinics providing consultation (69/114, 60.5%) provided only telephone consultation, while 24.6% (28/114) of the clinics offered video and telephone consultation, and 14.9% (17/114) offered only video consultation. Eighty percent (92/114) of the clinics were located in urban areas. A breakdown by state showed that 17.5% (20/114) and 16.7% (19/114) of the clinics were from two larger states; other states comprised less than 10% each (range 7-9/114). For the clinics providing video consultation, funding for the service came mostly (42/45, 93%) from the Ministry of Health. Conversely, nearly 1 out of 4 (23/97) clinics that provided telephone consultation funded the service either from donations or through self-funding. Most of the clinics provided teleconsultation for diabetes and hypertension. Less than 50% of the clinics with teleconsultation used it for follow up with allied health care providers or pharmacists (video consultation, 20/45; telephone consultation, 36/97).

Conclusions: Our findings show that telephone consultation is more widely used than video consultation, despite a quarter of its funding being self-subsidized or obtained through donations. Also, teleconsultation was less utilized by allied health care providers and pharmacists. Plans for the expansion of teleconsultation in Malaysian primary health care should take into consideration these findings to ensure a better and more cost-effective implementation of the service.

Keywords: Asia; cross-sectional; primary care; teleconsultation; telemedicine; telephone consultation; video consultation; virtual care; virtual clinic.

©Sock Wen Ng, Wen Yea Hwong, Masliyana Husin, Norazida Ab Rahman, Nazrila Hairizan Nasir, Kawselyah Juval, Sheamini Sivasampu. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 09.05.2022.