Assessment of Ethiopian Health Facilities Readiness for Implementation of Telemedicine

Ethiopiahas one of the lowest ratios of health professionals to population in the world. The few medical specialists who are available work mainly in the capital city and in a few regional cities. The use of telemedicine in public health facilities can mitigate the shortage of medical personnel. We conducted a survey of selected public health facilities located inAddis Ababa,Ethiopia. The study could be modified and extended to other countries in Sub-SaharanAfrica. In this study, we adapted Bakry’s e-government assessment model, STOPE (Strategy, Technology, Organizational, People, and Environment) to assess telemedicine readiness. Validity and reliability tests were conducted using the Smart PLS software package. The survey data was analyzed using SPSS version 16, and descriptive and analytical statistical reports were generated. The color-coded feature of the McConnell International analysis tool was used to display the results. All factors in STOPE indicated amber color, which implies the need for substantial improvements at the health facilities in order to adopt Telemedicine. The STOPE model results from this study show that the degree of readiness for telemedicine implementation varies from a weak rating for Technology readiness to strong rating for Organization readiness.