Developing and Validating a Tool to Assess Telemedicine Acceptance Among Physicians During Pandemic Using a...

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Health Services Research
• Digital Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid adoption of telemedicine for virtual medical services.
• Assessing physician acceptance is crucial for integrating telemedicine into routine healthcare.
• Lebanese physicians widely utilized telemedicine during the pandemic, highlighting the need for acceptance evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a tool to assess telemedicine acceptance among Lebanese physicians during the pandemic.
• To explore factors influencing physicians' attitudes towards telemedicine use.

Main Methods:

• Development and validation of the Telemedicine Acceptance Model during Pandemic (TeAM), based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).
• A cross-sectional online survey distributed via email to physicians registered with the Lebanese Order of Physicians.
• The study tested 10 hypotheses using data from 390 physician respondents.

Main Results:

• The TeAM tool demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.745–0.905), validating it as a reliable assessment measure.
• Nine out of ten tested hypotheses were supported, identifying key determinants of telemedicine acceptance.
• The study confirmed TeAM's reliability in assessing physician acceptance of telemedicine.

Conclusions:

• The validated TeAM tool can effectively assess physicians' acceptance and willingness to adopt telemedicine.
• Identified determinants can guide healthcare institutions in implementing telemedicine strategies.
• TeAM provides a framework for hospitals, primary care centers, and health systems to evaluate readiness for telemedicine integration.