Predictive Factors of Physicians’ Satisfaction and Quality of Work Under Teleconsultation Conditions: Structural Equation Analysis

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an increase in teleconsultation adoption in the Polish primary health care system. It is expected that in the long run, teleconsultations will successfully replace a significant part of face-to-face visits. Therefore, a significant challenge facing primary health care facilities (PHCs) is the acceptance of teleconsultations by their users, especially physicians. Objective: This study aimed to explore physicians’ acceptance of teleconsultations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. Methods: A representative survey was conducted among 361 physicians of PHCs across Poland in 2021. For the purposes of the study, we developed a modified Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model. Based on the modified TAM, we analyzed the impact of perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), and intention to use teleconsultation (INT) on physicians’ satisfaction (SAT) and quality of work (Q). The psychometric properties of the research instrument were examined using exploratory factor analysis. Finally, structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Results: The results indicated a generally high level of PU (mean 3.85-4.36, SD 0.87-1.18), PEU (mean 3.81-4.60, SD 0.60-1.42), INT (mean 3.87-4.22, SD 0.89-1.12), and SAT (mean 3.55-4.13, SD 0.88-1.16); the lowest rated dimension in TAM was Q (mean 3.28-3.73, SD 1.06-1.26). The most important independent variable was PU. The influence of PU on INT (estimate=0.63, critical ratio [CR]=15.84, P