ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Digital Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1643085
PERSPECTIVES OF HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ON TELEMEDICINE IMPLEMENTATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN COLOMBIA: A MIXED-METHOD STUDY
Provisionally accepted
Susana Orrego1,2,3*
Eric Adjei Boakye4
Jafet Arrieta1
Karine Posada2,5
Melisa Sofia Naranjo Vanegas6*Gloria Prado Pinto1,7- 1Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
- 2Universidad CES, Medellín, Colombia
- 3Seguros Sura Colombia, Medellín, Colombia
- 4Henry Ford Institute, Michigan, United States
- 5Seguros Sura colombia, Medellin, Colombia
- 6Medical Imaging & AI Sura, Bioscience Center - Ayudas Diagnósticas Sura, Medellin, Colombia
- 7Pan American Health Organization, Washington, United States
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telemedicine (TM) in Colombia as a tool for delivering healthcare for both chronic and non-chronic conditions.This study aimed to explore the perspectives of healthcare providers, directors, and managers on TM implementation within a major health plan provider covering 15% of the Colombia population.Methods: Mixed-methods study was conducted, combining surveys and in-depth interviews with medical professionals and decision-makers. Thematic analysis of qualitative data and statistical analysis of survey responses provided insights into the challenges and opportunities of TM during the pandemic.Results: Healthcare providers recognized TM as a valuable tool but identified key challenges to its optimization. Three main strategies were proposed: ( 1) enhancing medical training to improve remote diagnosis, (2) integrating wearables and digital technologies to support clinical decision-making, and (3) fostering a culture of TM use among patients and providers to ensure acceptance and sustainability.Telemedicine facilitated equitable healthcare delivery and contributed to reducing the digital gap in Colombia. However, to ensure long-term viability, national policies must improve internet connectivity and strengthen primary care infrastructure, particularly in underserved regions.
Keywords: Avenue 64B # 49A -30, 6th floor, Protección Building, Suramericana Telemedicine, COVID19, healthcare providers, Digital Health, Health Services Accessibility
Received: 07 Jun 2025; Accepted: 03 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Orrego, Adjei Boakye, Arrieta, Posada, Naranjo Vanegas and Prado Pinto. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Susana Orrego, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
Melisa Sofia Naranjo Vanegas, Medical Imaging & AI Sura, Bioscience Center - Ayudas Diagnósticas Sura, Medellin, Colombia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.