JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

There are numerous benefits to delivering care via telehealth. Yet, healthcare professionals (HCPs) willingness to use telehealth is one of the greatest barriers to its adoption. Decisions regarding whether to use telehealth may be based on assumptions and concerns that are not necessarily borne of evidence. To effectively address psychological barriers to telehealth, it is essential to gain a better understanding of specific factors (e.g. attitudes, beliefs, emotions) that influence HCPs’ telehealth use, specifically engagement in video consultations.

Objective:

This study’s aim is to identify psychological factors in healthcare professionals that impair or promote telehealth use.

Methods:

Full-text peer-reviewed primary research articles based on Australian studies where video consultations were used to deliver health services were screened for psychological factors. A psychological factor was defined as an intra-individual influence related to, or in reaction to, telehealth. Data was extracted, and a thematic analysis generated the factors and themes.

Results:

From 4592 studies, data was extracted from 90 peer-reviewed articles. Cognitive and emotional motivators and inhibitors to telehealth use were found. These factors were complex and impacted upon one another. A cyclical relationship between these factors and intention to engage in video consultations and actual use of video consultations was found. These findings were used to form the Psychological Attributes of Video consultation Engagement (PAVE) model. Evidence suggests that HCPs fall within four key user-categories based on the amount of cognitive and practical effort needed to deliver video consultations.

Conclusions:

Although further research is needed to validate the current findings, this study provides opportunity for more targeted interventions that address psychological factors impeding effective telehealth use.