Patients' Experiences With Using a Digital Platform for Chat-Based Consultation in Primary Health Care in Sweden:...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Primary Health Care
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Growing demand for primary health care necessitates efficient resource utilization.
• Digital health solutions offer potential for enhanced service delivery efficiency.
• Limited adoption of digital health in Swedish primary care requires understanding patient influences.

Purpose of the Study:

• Explore patient experiences with the 1177-direkt digital platform for chat-based consultations.
• Identify patient concerns regarding digital access to Swedish primary health care.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 23 semistructured interviews with patients in southeastern Sweden.
• Applied thematic and sentiment analysis to interview data.
• Utilized the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework for interpretation.

Main Results:

• Key themes: digital impact on access, platform functionality/usability, and patient-provider dynamics.
• Patients expected faster access but faced process delays; usability was generally good but use cases unclear.
• Automated symptom checkers caused concern; personalized interaction and relational continuity were desired, especially by returning patients.

Conclusions:

• User experiences with digital primary care platforms are diverse, presenting both benefits and challenges.
• Sentiment analysis revealed novel insights into user responses.
• Enhancing digital platforms requires focus on access, efficiency, and personalization to improve adoption, particularly for returning patients.