April 7-9, 2022 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Abstract: A Virtual Shift: Patient Perceptions and Relational Reconstructing with Telemedicine during COVID-19
The novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has drastically changed the landscape of health consultations. Social distancing and mask mandates are among practices that have become part of the healthcare setting and everyday life. Additionally, the pandemic has resulted in greater use of telemedicine services. Previously optional, the pandemic forced many to resort to these technological services as their sole healthcare option. Prior to COVID-19, limited research examined the use of telemedicine from the patient’s perspective. To date, most research has focused on provider perceptions (Holden & Krash, 2010; Hu et al., 1999; Kissi et al., 2020; Rho et al., 2014), use of patient portals (Portz et al., 2019), health information technologies (Kim & Chang, 2007; Pai & Huang, 2011), and geriatric-specific perceptions (Charness & Boot, 2009; Cimperman et al., 2013), resulting in a limited understanding of patient perceptions, particularly in the context of COVID-19. Though this service became a necessity during the pandemic, it is unknown how patients perceive the technological service. As the use of telemedicine shows no signs of halting, gauging patient perceptions is integral. The technology acceptance model (TAM) proposes that perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) of a technology aid in predicting an individual’s likelihood of accepting or rejecting such technology (Davis, 1989). Using this model as a framework, we aimed to understand perceptions of telemedicine in users during the pandemic. As of December, 37 patients (3 male and 34 female) had completed an online quantitative survey assessing their perceptions of the technology through the scope of TAM and gauging attitudes and behaviors in attending health appointments using telemedicine. The instrument included 5-point Likert scale items based on the two pathways proposed in TAM and demographic items. A Pearson’s correlation coefficient was computed to assess the relationship between intention to use and PEOU (r(35) = .50, p =.002), intention to use and PU (r(35) = .82, p <.001), intention to use and attitude towards technology (r(35) =.68, p <.001), PU and attitude towards technology (r(35) = .73, p <.001), PEOU and perceived usefulness (r(35) =.52, p <.001), and PEOU and PU (r(35) = .42, p =.010). Preliminary results indicate a strong positive relationship between all variables. However, participants prefer in-person consultations. Such diverging attitudes illustrate the acceptance that people adopt when faced with limited options. However, it does not explain the preference, despite their acceptance of technology. Ongoing data collection via the survey is continuing. We also plan to continue data collection qualitatively to explore what factors contribute to the preference for in-person consultations. We aim to employ social exchange theory as a framework for examining how relational factors, privacy concerns, and trust may be influenced, altered, or reconstructed through the virtual setting (Homans, 1958; Luo, 2001; Shahsavarani et al., 2016). This study may provide insight into how the patient-provider relationship and dynamic can be reinvented, reconstructed, and renegotiated through telemedicine consultations. Findings may explain the preference for in-person consultation and inform potential improvements for more comprehensive care in the virtual setting.