Assessing the usability, satisfaction, and acceptability of a 5G-enabled telemedicine model among internally displaced persons in Nigeria

This study assessed the usability, satisfaction, and acceptability of a 5G-enabled telemedicine service among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Abuja, Nigeria. A quantitative pre–post design was employed, with baseline and endline data collected from 75 participants who completed telemedicine consultations. Structured Likert-scale questionnaires captured demographics, access to mobile devices, and telemedicine outcomes. Data were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests, independent-samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlations. Participants were predominantly female (69.3%) and aged 40–49 years (29.3%). Most had secondary education (36.0%), and 60% had lived in the camp for over two years. Only 2.7% reported regular electricity access, while 21.3% owned a device suitable for telemedicine consultations. Mean usability scores increased from 77.16 (SD = 10.68) at baseline to 83.83 (SD = 10.86) at endline (t = 3.85, p < .001). Satisfaction improved from 42.07 (SD = 9.35) to 47.53 (SD = 8.56) (t = 3.60, p = .001), and acceptability rose from 39.08 (SD = 6.12) to 43.03 (SD = 5.19) (t = 4.05, p < .001). While improvements were consistent across age groups, variations were observed by gender, device ownership, and electricity access, with greater gains among males and participants with better access. Strong positive correlations were observed between usability and satisfaction (r = 0.751), usability and acceptability (r = 0.849), and satisfaction and acceptability (r = 0.797). Overall, a nurse- and translator-supported teleconsultation service delivered over a 5G network was feasible and was associated with short-term positive changes in self-reported usability, satisfaction, and acceptability among a self-selected group of IDPs in this resource-constrained setting, despite limited infrastructure and access barriers; in the absence of a control group, causal attribution of these improvements to 5G connectivity specifically is not possible from this design.