Acceptance of telemedicine by doctors

Abstract

The fast growing Information Technology and Telecommunication has opened door for application of Telemedicine in Health care management in both private and Government Health sectors. The growing momentum of interest in telemedicine and increased investment in its enabling technology by the Government have made physician technology acceptance a emerging concern for development and management of telemedicine. In India, ISRO s initiative in telemedicine are being seen in almost all corners of nation, both in private and government setup. In this scenario the study of acceptance of telemedicine technology by doctors addresses the factors that could affect intention of physicians to adopt telemedicine technology. Based on the theoretical foundations of technology adoption models, an extended Technology Acceptance Model is proposed and tested via questionnaire. The study area of Northern Karnataka district Bagalkot was chosen for its location in backward area . In this study basic Technology Acceptance Model was modified with adding of external variables representing social and cognitive processes. The study aims at examining the applicability of extended TAM model in the context of doctor s intention to adopt basic telemedicine technology. Data were collected through questionnaire. 121 doctors belonging to all spheres like government, private practice and medical education participated in process. Our results partially confirm the model. Unlike in earlier studies in telemedicine acceptances, perceived ease of use emerged as reasonably significant perception variable. As theorised, the primary predictor variable perceived usefulness was a strong determinant of intention to use. Job relevance cognitive variable emerged as one of the predominant variable among overall sample and medical graduates without specialisation. Gender, Age and Place of work (government and private) did not show much variation among different constructs used in the model. However specialisation like MD/MS showed significance on constructs like perceived use, job relevance, attitude and out put quality of technology. The study gives insight into technology acceptance s importance in policy making. It emphasises the need for involvement of physicians in policy making right from the beginning. It shows importance of making the training and demonstration oriented towards emphasizing the usefulness of technology for clinical purposes and job relevance rather than placing importance on procedural aspects of technology. In the study physicians showed positive attitude towards use of telemedicine technology and moderate intention to use it.