JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Only a few telemedicine applications have made their way into the regular care. One reason is the lack of acceptance of these applications by potential end users.

Objective:

The aim of this sys-tematic review was to identify theoretical predictors which influence the acceptance of telemedicine applications.

Methods:

An electronic search was conducted in PubMed and PsycINFO in June 2018 and supplemented by a hand search. Articles were identified using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two reviewers independently assessed the title abstract- and full text screening and then individually performed a quality assessment of all included studies.

Results:

Of 5.917 potentially relevant titles (doublets excluded), 23 studies were included. The Axis Tool for quality assessment of cross-sectional studies revealed high risk of bias for all but one of them. The most commonly used models were the Technology Acceptance Model (n= 11) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (n= 9). The main significant predictors of acceptance were perceived usefulness (n = 11), social influences (n = 6) and attitude (n = 6). The results show a superiority of technology acceptance versus original behavioral models.

Conclusions:

The main finding of this review is the applicability of technology acceptance models and theories on telemedicine adoption. Characteristics of the technology, such as its usefulness, as well as those of the individual, such as his or her need for social support, inform end user ac-ceptance. In the future, the requirements of the target group and their social environment should therefore already be taken into account when planning telemedicine applications. The results support the importance of theory-guided user-centered design approaches to telemedicine development.