[Knowledge, perceptions and attitudes of medical auxiliaries and assistants on telemedicine in Togo].

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of medical auxiliaries and assistants regarding telemedicine in Togo. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from March 27 to June 26, 2021, and included medical auxiliaries and assistants working in Togo. Participants completed the questionnaires electronically via Google Forms or in printed format. Results: Of the 315 medical auxiliaries and assistants surveyed, 76.2% were auxiliaries (including 81.7% nurses and midwives), and 23.8% were assistants. Seventy-six point eight percent had heard of telemedicine at least once. They were familiar with teleconsultation (53%), telemonitoring (18.1%), and telehealth assistance (15.2%). The main barriers to developing telemedicine that were cited were economic difficulties (64.8%) and organizational barriers (54.3%). They knew that patient consent is required for telemedicine procedures in 48.6% of cases. Eighty-two percent of them considered telemedicine useful for everyday medical practice, and nearly all (90.5%) wanted training in telemedicine. They practiced telemonitoring (27.4%) and telehealth assistance (24.2%). Seventy-five percent used WhatsApp to prescribe remotely, and 49.8% used it to monitor patients remotely. Conclusion: Despite their limited knowledge, medical auxiliaries and assistants in Togo had a positive perception of telemedicine; however, they did not always adopt good attitudes.