Development of the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ)

Abstract

Current telehealth usability questionnaires are designed primarily for older technologies, where telehealth interaction is conducted over dedicated videoconferencing applications. However, telehealth services are increasingly conducted over computer-based systems that rely on commercial software and a user supplied computer interface. Therefore, a usability questionnaire that addresses the changes in telehealth service delivery and technology is needed.  The Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) was developed to evaluate the usability of telehealth implementation and services.  This paper addresses: 1) the need for a new measure of telehealth usability, 2) the development of the TUQ, 3) intended uses for the TUQ, and 4) the reliability of the TUQ. Analyses indicate that the TUQ is a solid, robust, and versatile measure that can be used to measure the quality of the computer-based user interface and the quality of the telehealth interaction and services.