African Biology Research (Core Life Science) | 25 December 2004
Telemedicine Access and Utilization Among Urban African Refugees in São Tomé and Príncipe: A Socio-Epidemiological Analysis
M, a, r, i, a, C, o, n, c, e, i, ç, ã, o, ,, F, e, r, n, a, n, d, o, D, i, a, s
Abstract
Urban African refugees in São Tomé and Príncipe face significant barriers to accessing mental health services, including geographical isolation and financial constraints. Telemedicine usage data was collected through a structured questionnaire administered online. A logistic regression model with robust standard errors was used to analyse the relationship between telemedicine access and utilization. Among surveyed participants, 65% reported increased access to mental health services via telemedicine compared to traditional methods, though there is uncertainty about actual service utilization rates due to incomplete data collection. Telemedicine has shown promise in improving access to mental health services for urban African refugees in São Tomé and Príncipe, although further research is needed to confirm these findings and establish effective telemedicine models. Further studies should explore the actual use of telemedicine services by participants and evaluate its long-term effectiveness in addressing mental health needs among this population. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p<em>i)=\beta</em>0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.