A Digital Government Model to Optimize Telemedicine Services in a Peruvian Public Hospital: An Indicator-Based Assessment and Validation Through Expert Judgment

Telemedicine has expanded rapidly in public hospitals across Latin America, but its day-to-day management continues to lag behind its adoption. This study assessed perceptions of the telemedicine service at a public hospital in Lambayeque (Peru) and, based on that assessment, designed and validated a digital governance model. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive-propositional design, 315 users were surveyed using a questionnaire with 15 indicators across three dimensions; the psychometric properties of the instrument were verified; and the model was evaluated by three experts using Aiken’s V coefficient. Perceptions were almost unanimously rated as intermediate (99.0% of participants at the intermediate level; 95% CI [97.2, 99.7]) and homogeneous: the three dimensions were statistically equivalent (TOST with margins of ±0.20, p ≤ .001), no indicator deviated from the neutral point after Holm’s correction, and the distribution of responses was symmetrical (50.1% favorable among the non-neutral responses). Weaknesses were distributed throughout the sample: 88.6% indicated disagreement on three or more indicators, with the lowest averages in operational process management, user satisfaction, professional coordination, patient safety, and technical support. Psychometric validation was favorable (α = .75; KMO = .796; Bartlett, p = .050), supporting the aggregate interpretation of the diagnosis at the scale and dimension levels. The proposed model (three axes, nine lines of action, and verifiable goals) received satisfactory validation through expert judgment (Aiken’s V = .86). The findings indicate that the priority for investment is service governance rather than its technological infrastructure, and they confirm the psychometric soundness of the instrument used to support the institutional diagnosis.