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"Get used to the fact that some of the care is really going to take place in a different way": General practitioners' experiences with E-health during the COVID-19 pandemic
Meurs,Maaike Keuper,Jelle Sankatsing,Valerie Batenburg,Ronald Van Tuyl,Lilian
Meurs,Maaike
Keuper,Jelle
Sankatsing,Valerie
Batenburg,Ronald
Van Tuyl,Lilian
Abstract
The first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the introduction of the more extensive use of e-health in Dutch general practices. The objective of this study was to investigate the experiences of general practitioners (GPs) regarding this change. In addition, the necessary conditions for e-health technology to be of added value to general practices were explored. In April 2020, 30 GPs were recruited for in-depth interviews via a web survey which contained questions regarding the use of e-health during the first wave of the pandemic. While most GPs intend to keep using e-health applications more extensively than before the pandemic, the actual use of e-health depends on several factors, including the characteristics of the application’s users. The following conditions for successful and sustainable implementation of e-health were identified: (1) integration of e-health technology in the organization of GP care, (2) sufficient user-friendliness of applications as well as digital skills of professionals and patients, and (3) adequate technological and financial support of e-health services. GPs clearly recognize the benefits of using e-health, and most GPs intend to keep using e-health applications more extensively than before the pandemic. However, improvements are needed to allow widespread and sustainable adoption of e-health technology in general practices.
Description
This research was funded by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (no grant number).
Date
2022
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Research Projects
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Keywords
Attitude of Health Personnel, COVID-19/epidemiology, General Practitioners, Humans, Pandemics, Telemedicine, SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Citation
Meurs, M, Keuper, J, Sankatsing, V, Batenburg, R & Van Tuyl, L 2022, '"Get used to the fact that some of the care is really going to take place in a different way" : General practitioners' experiences with E-health during the COVID-19 pandemic', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 9, 5120. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095120