General practitioners and neurotelemedicine.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Sociology
• Telemedicine

Background:

• Human factors are critical for the successful implementation and sustained use of teleconsultation systems.
• Understanding physician attitudes and intentions is essential for promoting widespread adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess General Practitioners' (GPs) attitudes and intentions regarding a new teleconsultation system in Neurology.
• To identify key factors influencing GP adoption of the system.
• To inform communication strategies for enhancing system utilization.

Main Methods:

• The study employed the Theory of Reasoned Action predictive model.
• A questionnaire was administered to 53 GPs, informed by content analysis of 10 interviews.
• Factor and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data.

Main Results:

• GP attitudes towards the teleconsultation system were primarily influenced by 'Accessibility and Quality' (b = 0.486; p = 0.007).
• Attitude and subjective norm explained 26.9% of the intention variance, with attitude being the significant predictor (b = 0.469; p = 0.002).
• A majority of GPs (44/53) expressed probable intention to use the system, though significant differences existed between participating and non-participating centers.

Conclusions:

• GPs exhibit highly positive intentions towards using the neurology teleconsultation system.
• Communication strategies should emphasize the accessibility and quality of care benefits to foster acceptance and utilization.
• Addressing differences between healthcare centers is crucial for successful system-wide implementation.