ACCEPTABILITY

OF TELEHEALTH
AMONG BIGUEÑ O S
Background of
the Study
Every one across the globe was surprised by the attack of the
Coronavirus that spread like wildfire in every country. All the
hospitals were jammed with patients, whether infected with COVID-
19 or has already been suffering from another disease that needs to
be promptly treated. In this light, telehealth services were introduced
and were suggested in lieu of visiting the hospital.
Background of
the Study
Telehealth addressed many of the key challenges in providing health
services during the outbreak of COVID-19. Telehealth helped us
avoid direct physical contact, minimized the risk of COVID-19
transmission, and finally provided continuous care to the community
(Monaghesh & Hajizadeh, 2020).
Background of
the Study
However, telehealth in the Philippines is still a new thing
and most of the people are still unaware and/or unfamiliar
with it. In the locality of the researchers, it is mostly
unheard of by people from rural areas and even some who
lives in the urban.
This quantitative study aimed to determine if the emerging
availability of telehealth in Vigan City was readily accepted
and availed by the locality and its people. The study also
focused on identifying the level of acceptability of
Bigueños towards telehealth and its services.
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to determine the level of acceptability of the Bigueños to telehealth.
Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1 What is the profile of the respondents in terms of the

following:
A. SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
a. age,
b. sex,
c. educational attainment,
d. household income,
e. place of residence, and
f. availability of devices and internet connection?
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to determine the level of acceptability of the Bigueños to telehealth.
Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

What is the level of acceptability of the respondents towards telehealth services?

2

Is there a significant relationship between the level of acceptability of the respondents

3 and their socio-demographic profile?
Research Design
METHODOLOGY
This study used the descriptive-correlational method of research. The descriptive method
described the socio-demographics profile of the respondents and their level of acceptability
towards availing telehealth services. On the other hand, correlational method determined the
significant relationship between the dependent variable and independent variables of this
study.
Population and
Sample
• Purposive sampling among the people of selected
barangay in Vigan City was applied to determine the
respondents in this study.
• The number of respondents was decided using the
Cochran’s formula and was consulted to a
statistician.
• There was a total of 356 respondents.
• In addition, different age brackets were also taken
into consideration.
Data Gathering Instrument
A survey questionnaire formulated by the researchers was utilized in this study to gather data and
information from the selected respondents. The questionnaire was subjected for content validation by a pool
of experts with a validity index of 4.0 which means it is highly valid. The instrument was divided into two
parts: Part I consisted of the socio-demographic profile of each respondent; Part II consisted of items that
helped identify the level of acceptability of Biguenos towards telehealth. The respondents were asked to rate
the items using a 4-point scale interpreted as follows:
Data Gathering Procedure
1. Secured ERC approval from the College of Nursing
2. Secured permits from the city mayor and barangay captains.
3. Subjected questionnaire forms for checking and content validation.
4. Had respondents sign informed consents before floating questionnaires.
5. Retrieved survey-questionnaire forms.
6. Tallied and computed the results for interpretation.
RESULTS
ON PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS

Age. Aofgreat
On Place percentage
Residence. of the
A great respondents
number (157 or(166 or 46.6%)
44.1%) belong to theare
of the respondents ageresiding
range ofin18-39
Western
years old
Vigan and 57 (16%)
barangays of (26.4%)
while 94 them areare
60 living
years old and above.area.
in Poblacion

Gender.Owned.
On Devices The majority
Most ofof the
the respondents
respondents (240
(344 or
or 67.4%)
96.6%) are
ownfemales. On thewhile
smartphones otherfive
hand,
(1.4%)
one (0.3%)
answered answered
that thatother
they have theydevices
belong such
to theasLGBTQIA+
radio, smartcommunity.
watches, or smart TV.

Educational
On Internet Attainment.
Connection. A great
Majority of percentage (100 with
the respondents or 28.1%)
a totalofofthe
196respondents are acollege
(55.1%) have stable
graduates.
internet On the other
connection. On hand, onehand,
the other (0.3%)61had no formal
(17.1%) of theeducation.
respondent doesn’t have an internet
connection.
On Monthly Income. Majority of the respondents’ (200 or56.2%) income ranges below Php
5,000 and 13 (3.7%) of the respondents have an income of Php 30,001 and above.
RESULTS
ON THE LEVEL OF ACCEPTABILITY
• The level of acceptability has an overall mean rating of 3.23 which indicates “Acceptable” on
the overall descriptive rating.
• Item 6, “I am sure that I can perform every order made at home properly” obtained the highest
mean rating of 3.44 which equates to “Very Much Acceptable” in descriptive rating.
• Item 20, “The courtesy, respect, sensitivity, and friendliness of the healthcare providers must be
established” has a mean rating of 3.42 with a descriptive rating of “Very Much Acceptable”.
• Item 12, “I am confident that using telehealth will help me accomplish things more quickly” has
a descriptive rating of “Very Much Acceptable” and a mean rating of 3.33.
RESULTS
ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE
RESPONDENTS AND THEIR LEVEL OF ACCEPTABILITY TO TELEHEALTH
CONCLUSIONS
Based on the salient findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn:
1. It was noticed that majority of the respondents were female and a great number of them
were from the age group of 18-39 years old. In terms of educational attainment, a great
number of respondents were college graduates. The majority of the respondents’ income
ranges below Php 5,000. A great percentage of the respondents were residing in Western
Vigan barangays. Most of the respondents own a smartphone. Also, majority of the
respondents have a stable internet connection.
2. Overall, the level of acceptability of the respondents towards telehealth indicates an
“Acceptable” on the overall descriptive rating. However, the overall descriptive rating of
the three highest mean rating is “Very Much Acceptable”.
3. The monthly income has the most significant relationship to the level of acceptability to
telehealth.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the findings and conclusion of the study, the following recommendations were
forwarded:
1. Information dissemination should be conducted to promote awareness of the benefits and
services offered by telehealth.
2. The Rural Health Unit personnel and administration should offer daily teleconsultations to
the residents of Vigan City.
3. A similar study should be conducted with a larger scope to make the findings of this study
more conclusive.
4. The results of the study should be considered in future extension programs of the
University of Northern Philippines particularly the College of Nursing. Radio and
television can be a good venue for information dissemination. Fliers and leaflets should be
made and distributed to the residents of Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.
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THANK YOU!
BSN IV-B
Sivila, Lester Paul R.
Lardizabal, Shane Audrey O.
Poderoso, Rona B.
Rabara, Diane Margareth
Rabara, Nhokia Diane A.
R a b o y, H a i z e l A .
Te n o r i o , J o a n n a M a r i e R .