Knowledge And Utilization of Government-Supported Telemedicine Services Among Rural Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Telemedicine has emerged as an important strategy for improving access to healthcare, particularly for populations living in geographically remote and underserved areas. Although government-supported digital health services have expanded in India, their effective use depends substantially on public awareness, digital literacy, accessibility, and confidence in remote healthcare delivery. Evidence regarding the knowledge and utilization of government-supported telemedicine services among rural populations remains limited in several local contexts. Objectives: To assess knowledge and utilization of government-supported telemedicine services among adults residing in selected rural areas and to determine the association of knowledge and utilization with selected demographic characteristics and the relationship between knowledge and utilization. Methods: A quantitative, non-experimental descriptive analytical design was adopted. The study was conducted among 110 adults residing in selected rural areas. Participants were selected using non-probability purposive sampling. Data were collected using a self-structured instrument comprising a demographic data sheet, a 10-item Telemedicine Knowledge Questionnaire, and a 10-item Telemedicine Utilization Rating Scale. Content validity was established by 17 experts, with a content validity index of 0.98 for both instruments. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.790 for the knowledge questionnaire and 0.833 for the utilization scale. Descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used for analysis. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Most participants had poor knowledge of telemedicine services (94/110, 85.5%), while only 14 (12.7%) had average knowledge and 2 (1.8%) had good knowledge. Similarly, 96 participants (87.0%) reported low utilization, 12 (11.0%) reported moderate utilization, and 2 (2.0%) reported high utilization. No statistically significant association was observed between knowledge and age, gender, occupation, education, monthly income, or socioeconomic class (p>0.05). Utilization was likewise not significantly associated with the selected demographic characteristics. A strong positive correlation was observed between knowledge and utilization scores (r=0.785, p<0.001). Conclusion: The findings indicate substantial gaps in both knowledge and utilization of government-supported telemedicine services among the rural population studied. The strong positive relationship between knowledge and utilization suggests that improving awareness and digital health literacy may contribute to greater engagement with telemedicine. Community-based education, health-worker-led awareness activities, and strengthened digital health support may improve the accessibility and effective use of telemedicine services in rural communities.