Elderly Access to Medical Services via Telemedicine Platforms in Tanzania: A Replication Study

Telemedicine platforms have been developed to facilitate remote access to medical services among urban elderly in Tanzania, addressing a critical health care gap. The replication study employed a mixed-method approach involving quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to assess platform usage and user experiences. A total of 450 participants were surveyed, with an access success rate of 92% for scheduled appointments. Patient satisfaction index scores ranged from 83 to 91 out of 100. The telemedicine platforms in Tanzania demonstrated high user engagement and satisfactory service delivery among the urban elderly population. Further research should focus on long-term usage patterns and potential barriers to access for future studies. Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.