Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Human Factors
Date Submitted: Mar 15, 2026
Date Accepted: Aug 26, 2026
Telemedicine Adoption Among Health Care Professionals in Israeli Geriatric Medical Centers: Moderated Mediation Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Telemedicine adoption among healthcare professionals is hindered by resistance to change, comprising routine seeking, emotional reactivity, short-term focus, and cognitive rigidity, which interacts with perceived ease of use and anxiety within the Technology Acceptance Model framework.
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate whether the indirect relationship between resistance to change (overall and its subcategories) and telemedicine use intention via perceived ease of use is moderated by anxiety among healthcare professionals in governmental geriatric hospitals in Israel.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 377 healthcare professionals from four Israeli governmental geriatric medical centers. Data were collected using validated self-administered questionnaires measuring telemedicine-related anxiety, resistance to change with four dimensions: routine seeking, emotional response, short-term orientation, and cognitive rigidity, perceived ease of use, and intention to use telemedicine. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 28, employing PROCESS Model 14 for moderated mediation analysis.
Results:
The moderated mediation analysis revealed that resistance to change negatively affects the intention to adopt telemedicine through reduced perceived ease of use, with this indirect pathway being attenuated but not eliminated by high technology-related anxiety. The overall indirect effect remained negative and statistically significant across all anxiety levels.
Conclusions:
Healthcare professionals' resistance to change suppresses their intention to adopt telemedicine by lowering perceived ease of use, with technology-related anxiety moderating but never eliminating this relationship. Different dimensions of resistance require tailored interventions: gradual workflow adjustments for routine seekers, emotion-regulation coaching for those high in emotional reactivity, quick-win demonstrations for short-term focused staff, and rule-based protocols for cognitively rigid clinicians. Successful telemedicine implementation in geriatric settings must address both dispositional barriers and ease-of-use perceptions through targeted strategies. Clinical Trial: Not applicable
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