TELEHEALTH: PERCEPTION ON EXPANDING ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Telehealth encompassed the practical method for self-isolating patients and healthcare providers to lower the risk of COVID-19 infection. This was especially important for everyone, who were restricted to go outside, with limited access to healthcare, and some being vulnerable to infection. The study primarily aimed to assess the affiliation between the general population’s perception towards utilization of telehealth and their actual experience in the use of telehealth when they were grouped according to their demographic profile. This was a descriptive type of research that series the variables involved such as the respondent’s demographic profile; their perception towards utilization of telehealth; and their experience in the use of telehealth that included the parameters: affordability, accessibility, availability and acceptability. Respondents include sixty (60) residents of Tayabas City, Quezon province which were sampled through purposive sampling method. The respondents who met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study, were asked to answer an online questionnaire which was also statistically treated with frequency and percentage, weighted arithmetic mean and standard deviation, T-test, ANOVA, and Chi-square. Upon treating the results, it was found out that while demographic profile of the respondents does not have a direct correlation to their perception and experience in utilization of telehealth, there was a significant direct correlation between their perception and their perceived experience in telehealth utilization. This means that the higher their perception towards telehealth, the higher their perceived experience in using telehealth.