A study on the telemedicine usage intention and key issues from the perspective of medical workers in China / 中华医院管理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To analyze the usage intention and key issues of medical staff to use telemedicine, for improving telemedicine service system in China.Methods:From October to November 2019, medical workers of both the inviting party and invited party who experienced telemedicine in seven provinces of Fujian, Hainan, Henan, Hunan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Qinghai were selected for an online questionnaire survey. Areas covered included their usage intention, satisfaction and cognitive appraisal of telemedicine. Descriptive statistical analysis and non-parametric test were used to discuss the intention of further use, satisfaction and challenges of medical workers in various provinces and regions.Results:1 084 valid questionnaires were recovered. The data found the overall satisfaction was 98.62%, and the proportion of their intention of further use was 98.25%, and those from the eastern and western provinces presented higher intention of usage. The top challenges as reflected by these medical workers were named as follows timeliness of consultation progress and information feedback; long latency time; low Internet speed, poor and interrupted Internet signal; inadequate system equipments and inconvenient operation; difficulties in remote physical checkup and overall understanding of patient conditions; as well as substandard, incomplete and poor medical records.Conclusions:These medical workers are satisfied with the telemedicine services and willing to continue to use telemedicine.For those existing problems, it is suggested to strengthen the infrastructure and optimize the process of telemedicine services, so as to encourage them in greater use of telemedicine.