The rise of telemedicine in primary care: understanding patients’ and healthcare workers’ perspectives on acceptability of the COVID-19 remote care model

Matic Mihevc; Diana Podgoršek; Jakob Gajšek; Samanta Mikulet; Vesna Homar; Marko Kolšek; Marija Petek Šter

doi:10.5114/fmpcr.2023.130091

eISSN: 2449-8580
ISSN: 1734-3402

Family Medicine & Primary Care Review

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3/2023
vol. 25

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abstract:

Original paper

The rise of telemedicine in primary care: understanding patients’ and healthcare workers’ perspectives on acceptability of the COVID-19 remote care model

Matic Mihevc

^{1, 2, 3}

,

Diana Podgoršek

²

,

Jakob Gajšek

⁴

,

Samanta Mikulet

⁵

,

Vesna Homar

²

,

Marko Kolšek

²

,

Marija Petek Šter

²

Health Centre Ljubljana, Primary Healthcare Research and Development Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Department of Family Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Medical Faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Primary Health Centre Trebnje, Trebnje, Slovenia
Primary Health Centre Vrhnika, Vrhnika, Slovenia
Primary Health Centre Postojna, Postojna, Slovenia

Family Medicine & Primary Care Review 2023; 25(3): 297–301

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/fmpcr.2023.130091

Online publish date: 2023/09/30

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AMA

Mihevc M, Podgoršek D, Gajšek J, et al. The rise of telemedicine in primary care: understanding patients’ and healthcare workers’ perspectives on acceptability of the COVID-19 remote care model. Family Medicine & Primary Care Review. 2023;25(3):297-301. doi:10.5114/fmpcr.2023.130091.

APA

Mihevc, M., Podgoršek, D., Gajšek, J., Mikulet, S., Homar, V.,  & Kolšek, M. et al. (2023). The rise of telemedicine in primary care: understanding patients’ and healthcare workers’ perspectives on acceptability of the COVID-19 remote care model. Family Medicine & Primary Care Review, 25(3), 297-301. https://doi.org/10.5114/fmpcr.2023.130091

Chicago

Mihevc, Matic, Diana Podgoršek, Jakob Gajšek, Samanta Mikulet, Vesna Homar, Marko Kolšek,  and Marija Petek Šter. 2023. "The rise of telemedicine in primary care: understanding patients’ and healthcare workers’ perspectives on acceptability of the COVID-19 remote care model". Family Medicine & Primary Care Review 25 (3): 297-301. doi:10.5114/fmpcr.2023.130091.

Harvard

Mihevc, M., Podgoršek, D., Gajšek, J., Mikulet, S., Homar, V., Kolšek, M.,  and Petek Šter, M. (2023). The rise of telemedicine in primary care: understanding patients’ and healthcare workers’ perspectives on acceptability of the COVID-19 remote care model. Family Medicine & Primary Care Review, 25(3), pp.297-301. https://doi.org/10.5114/fmpcr.2023.130091

MLA

Mihevc, Matic et al. "The rise of telemedicine in primary care: understanding patients’ and healthcare workers’ perspectives on acceptability of the COVID-19 remote care model." Family Medicine & Primary Care Review, vol. 25, no. 3, 2023, pp. 297-301. doi:10.5114/fmpcr.2023.130091.

Vancouver

Mihevc M, Podgoršek D, Gajšek J, Mikulet S, Homar V, Kolšek M et al. The rise of telemedicine in primary care: understanding patients’ and healthcare workers’ perspectives on acceptability of the COVID-19 remote care model. Family Medicine & Primary Care Review. 2023;25(3):297-301. doi:10.5114/fmpcr.2023.130091.

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Background
Remote monitoring of vital signs combined with teleconsultations has been proposed as an effective method of care for COVID-19 patients. However, the acceptability of the remote care model has yet to be explored.

Objectives
To explore patients’ and healthcare workers’ views and experiences with the COVID-19 remote care programme using the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA) and identify challenges for further dissemination.

Material and methods
A qualitative study was conducted with 25 patients and 5 healthcare workers from three primary care centres in Slovenia who participated in the COVID-19 remote care programme. In-depth interviews, informed by the TFA, were conducted by phone or face-to-face, recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed by two independent researchers using a template content analysis guided by seven TFA domains, with the possibility of inductively adding codes from the text as needed.

Results
The remote care model proved acceptable to patients and healthcare workers in all seven TFA domains. For patients, the remote care model provided a sense of security, physician interest and the ability to detect deterioration in health early, while healthcare workers found it useful for triaging and protecting against disease transmission. However, both reported the additional burden and risk of unreliable pulse oximetry readings.

Conclusions
The remote care model proved acceptable and scalable to other respiratory diseases in primary care. Key challenges to further scaling include the complexity of system design and data sharing, the uncertain role of registered nurses and family members and the need to implement follow-up programmes focusing on self-management behaviours.

keywords:

The rise of telemedicine in primary care: understanding patients’ and healthcare workers’ perspectives on acceptability of the COVID-19 remote care model

Matic Mihevc 1, 2, 3 , Diana Podgoršek 2 , Jakob Gajšek 4 , Samanta Mikulet 5 , Vesna Homar 2 , Marko Kolšek 2 , Marija Petek Šter 2

patient acceptance of health care, telmemedicine, primary health care, chronic disease, oximetry

Matic Mihevc

^{1, 2, 3}

,

Diana Podgoršek

²

,

Jakob Gajšek

⁴

,

Samanta Mikulet

⁵

,

Vesna Homar

²

,

Marko Kolšek

²

,

Marija Petek Šter

²