Integrating Telehealth in Primary Care: an Albanian Perspective

Albana Greca (Sejdini), Klerida Shehu, Rohela Mahmud, Edmond Laho

Keywords: telehealth, primary care, Albania

Background:

Telehealth involves delivering health care remotely using various telecommunication tools offering numerous advantages in primary health care (PHC). So far, Albania has been working on developing a National Telemedicine Network to enable smooth exchange of medical information and teleconsultations among healthcare providers.

Research questions:

1. What is the experience of using Telehealth tools among Albanian primary healthcare workforce?
2. What are the main challenges primary healthcare workers face while using telecommunication tools in providing healthcare services?
3. How do they view the future of integrating telehealth in primary healthcare in Albania?

Method:

An online survey was disseminated between the months of November and December 2024 through social media communications. The survey comprised questions regarding individual demographics, experiences of delivering telehealth consultations, challenges they face and future perceptions of telehealth.

Results:

Only sixty professionals responded to the survey, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other stakeholders. Overall, they recognize telehealth as a positive tool for increasing accessibility, reducing wait times, and offering alternatives in emergency or rural settings. However, poor internet connectivity, limited access to technology, lack of training, and difficulty in maintaining patient trust and data privacy were the most common challenges reported. Inability to perform physical examinations reported as a limitation in providing an accurate diagnosis. Overwhelmingly, participants viewed telehealth as an essential part of future healthcare delivery, particularly with advancements in technology, increased training, and improved infrastructure.

Conclusions:

In Albania, telehealth presents a promising bridge to strengthen primary health care systems toward universal health coverage. However, its successful integration will depend on addressing technical barriers, building trust, and providing adequate training to healthcare professionals and patients.

Points for discussion:

#186