JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Background:

Telemedicine has expanded rapidly in recent years, with particularly pronounced growth following the COVID-19 pandemic. By improving access to care and offering greater flexibility in service delivery, it has become an important component of healthcare. While its benefits for patients are well documented, the impact on physician job satisfaction, an important factor for workforce retention and care quality, remains unclear.

Objective:

Objective:

This study aims to examine the association between telemedicine adoption and physician job satisfaction and to assess whether the physician-patient relationship mediates this association.

Methods:

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare professionals in Xi’an, China. Data were collected between November 7 and December 8, 2023, via an online questionnaire administered using the REDCap platform. A total of 12,052 physicians were included in the analysis. Physician job satisfaction was measured using a validated six-point Likert scale. Telemedicine adoption was assessed through self-report. Ordered logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between telemedicine adoption and job satisfaction, adjusting for potential confounders. Additionally, the Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) decomposition method was used to explore the mediating role of physician-patient relationship quality in this association.

Results:

Results:

Among 12,052 surveyed physicians, 1,642 (13.62%) reported adopting telemedicine, while 10,410 (86.38%) did not. Physicians who adopted telemedicine were more likely to be male, older, married, hold a doctoral degree and higher professional titles. After adjusting for demographic, work-related characteristics, psychological factors, and physician–patient relationship, telemedicine adoption was significantly associated with higher job satisfaction (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.04–1.29). Findings were robust across multiple sensitivity analyses. Subgroup analyses showed consistent associations across physician subgroups, with no significant interaction effects. Mediation analysis revealed a total effect of telemedicine on job satisfaction of 0.29 (95% CI 0.18–0.39), with an indirect effect of 0.14 (95% CI 0.10–0.18) through improved physician–patient relationships, accounting for 48.28% of the total effect.

Conclusions:

Conclusions:

These findings suggest that telemedicine adoption is positively associated with physician job satisfaction, partially mediated by the physician–patient relationship. Policies should promote telemedicine adoption while prioritizing platform designs that support effective physician–patient interactions to enhance provider well-being and care outcomes.