Feasibility, acceptance and factors related to the implementation of telemedicine in rural areas: A scoping review protocol

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine is a quickly developing service that offers more people the access to effective and high-quality healthcare. Societies residing in rural places tend to travel long distances to receive health care, usually have limited access to health care and/or postpone getting health care until a health emergency occurs. However, for telemedicine services to be accessible, a number of prerequisites including the availability of cutting-edge technology and equipment in rural areas must be present. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aims to collect all available data on the viability, acceptability, challenges and facilitators of telemedicine in rural areas. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus and Medical collection of ProQuest are the databases chosen for an electronic search of the literature. Identification of the title and abstract will be followed by an evaluation of the paper's accuracy and eligibility in a two-fold mode; whereas the identification of papers will be openly and completely described using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) flowchart. CONCLUSION: This scoping review would be among the first to offer a thorough evaluation of issues related to the viability, acceptance and implementation of telemedicine in rural areas. In order to improve the conditions of supply, demand and other circumstances relevant to the implementation of telemedicine, the results would be helpful in providing direction and recommendations for future developments in the usage of telemedicine, particularly in rural areas.