Qualitative analysis of acceptability of telenutrition among adult patients in IHNF Nutrition & Wellness Clinic during the Covid-19 pandemic

Date

2023

College

College of Human Ecology (CHE)

Abstract

The use of telenutrition by private clinics and hospitals increased drastically during the COVID-19 pandemic, this is to allow the provision of nutrition services despite the lockdowns and other social-distancing protocols. The effective implementation of any mode of healthcare delivery including telenutrition is heavily influenced by client preference and acceptance. Ten semi-structured interviews guided by the theoretical framework of acceptability were conducted from July to August 2022. Participants were purposively sampled from the adult patients of the UPLB-IHNF Nutrition & Wellness Clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey questionnaire related to the patients’ demographic data, internet, and technology access and use was also given prior to the actual interview. The participants represented a wide range of ages from 19-59 years old. The majority of them are females (90%) and earned a college degree or higher (90%). Most participants (70%) also have a monthly income lower than P50,000. The qualitative analysis revealed that the participants were highly satisfied with their telenutrition consultations and even found telenutrition an acceptable alternative to in-person visits mainly due to its thoroughness, convenience, accessibility, cost, and time efficiency. However, several participants expressed concerns about the need for a doctor’s referral in order to avail of the consultation and the effect of internet stability on the telenutrition consultation. Nonetheless, the high satisfaction with telenutrition driven by the positive experience of the patients outweighs the patient-expressed concerns about internet stability and access barriers associated with the patients’ recent telenutrition consultation.

Document Type

Thesis

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