Ten years of digital technology in health: assessing the impact of telemedicine in Portugal

The adoption of telemedicine in Portugal during a ten-year period is examined in this study, with particular attention paid to the ways in which telemedicine consultations are impacted by provider integration, geographical variations in health, and temporal shifts. There are many different definitions of telemedicine, which is the use of information and communication technology to improve the provision of healthcare over long distances. A range of healthcare requirements, from distant monitoring to real-time patient involvement, are addressed by the three main forms of telemedicine: store and forward, store and monitor, and interactive telemedicine. The paper explores barriers such as technology access, data security, and patient and healthcare provider acceptability. Multivariate linear regression models using data from 3,208 telemedicine consultations between 2013 and 2023 show significant regional and temporal variations in the use of telemedicine, with notable increases during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results highlight the need for improved telemedicine infrastructure, especially in areas with greater adoption rates, and stress the significance of fair access and ongoing professional development to fully realise telemedicine's potential to improve healthcare efficiency and accessibility.