The Attitudes and Perceptions of Israeli Psychiatrists Toward Telepsychiatry and Their Behavioral Intention to Use Telepsychiatry
BackgroundAlthough telemedicine care has grown in recent years, telepsychiatry is growing at a slower pace than expected, because service providers often hamper the assimilation and expansion of telepsychiatry due their attitudes and perceptions. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technolog...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.829965/full |
| _version_ | 1818314916628529152 |
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| author | Hanoch Kaphzan Margaret Sarfati Noiman Maya Negev |
| author_facet | Hanoch Kaphzan Margaret Sarfati Noiman Maya Negev |
| author_sort | Hanoch Kaphzan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundAlthough telemedicine care has grown in recent years, telepsychiatry is growing at a slower pace than expected, because service providers often hamper the assimilation and expansion of telepsychiatry due their attitudes and perceptions. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) is a model that was developed to assess the factors influencing the assimilation of a new technology. We used the UTAUT model to examine the associations between the attitudes and perceptions of psychiatrists in Israel toward telepsychiatry and their intention to use it.MethodsAn online, close-ended questionnaire based on a modified UTAUT model was distributed among psychiatrists in Israel. Seventy-six questionnaires were completed and statistically analyzed.ResultsThe behavioral intention of Israeli psychiatrists to use telepsychiatry was relatively low, despite their perceptions of themselves as capable of high performance with low effort. Nonetheless, they were interested in using telepsychiatry voluntarily. Experience in telepsychiatry, and to a lesser extent, facilitating conditions, were found to be positively correlated with the intention to use telepsychiatry. Psychiatrists have a positive attitude toward treating patients by telepsychiatry and perceive its risk as moderate.DiscussionDespite high performance expectancy, low effort expectancy, low perceived risk, largely positive attitudes, high voluntariness, and the expectancy for facilitating conditions, the intention to use telepsychiatry was rather low. This result is explained by the low level of experience, which plays a pivotal role. We recommend promoting the facilitating conditions that affect the continued use of telepsychiatry when initiating its implementation, and conclude that it is critical to create a sense of success during the initial stages of experience. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T08:57:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1f389350ad234fd9b090dba5cace4850 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T08:57:15Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-1f389350ad234fd9b090dba5cace48502022-12-21T23:53:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402022-03-011310.3389/fpsyt.2022.829965829965The Attitudes and Perceptions of Israeli Psychiatrists Toward Telepsychiatry and Their Behavioral Intention to Use TelepsychiatryHanoch Kaphzan0Margaret Sarfati Noiman1Maya Negev2Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelFaculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelDivision of Health Systems Policy and Administration, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelBackgroundAlthough telemedicine care has grown in recent years, telepsychiatry is growing at a slower pace than expected, because service providers often hamper the assimilation and expansion of telepsychiatry due their attitudes and perceptions. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) is a model that was developed to assess the factors influencing the assimilation of a new technology. We used the UTAUT model to examine the associations between the attitudes and perceptions of psychiatrists in Israel toward telepsychiatry and their intention to use it.MethodsAn online, close-ended questionnaire based on a modified UTAUT model was distributed among psychiatrists in Israel. Seventy-six questionnaires were completed and statistically analyzed.ResultsThe behavioral intention of Israeli psychiatrists to use telepsychiatry was relatively low, despite their perceptions of themselves as capable of high performance with low effort. Nonetheless, they were interested in using telepsychiatry voluntarily. Experience in telepsychiatry, and to a lesser extent, facilitating conditions, were found to be positively correlated with the intention to use telepsychiatry. Psychiatrists have a positive attitude toward treating patients by telepsychiatry and perceive its risk as moderate.DiscussionDespite high performance expectancy, low effort expectancy, low perceived risk, largely positive attitudes, high voluntariness, and the expectancy for facilitating conditions, the intention to use telepsychiatry was rather low. This result is explained by the low level of experience, which plays a pivotal role. We recommend promoting the facilitating conditions that affect the continued use of telepsychiatry when initiating its implementation, and conclude that it is critical to create a sense of success during the initial stages of experience.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.829965/fulltelepsychiatrytelemedicineunified theory of acceptance and the use of technologymental health servicesbarriers and facilitative factors |
| spellingShingle | Hanoch Kaphzan Margaret Sarfati Noiman Maya Negev The Attitudes and Perceptions of Israeli Psychiatrists Toward Telepsychiatry and Their Behavioral Intention to Use Telepsychiatry Frontiers in Psychiatry telepsychiatry telemedicine unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology mental health services barriers and facilitative factors |
| title | The Attitudes and Perceptions of Israeli Psychiatrists Toward Telepsychiatry and Their Behavioral Intention to Use Telepsychiatry |
| title_full | The Attitudes and Perceptions of Israeli Psychiatrists Toward Telepsychiatry and Their Behavioral Intention to Use Telepsychiatry |
| title_fullStr | The Attitudes and Perceptions of Israeli Psychiatrists Toward Telepsychiatry and Their Behavioral Intention to Use Telepsychiatry |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Attitudes and Perceptions of Israeli Psychiatrists Toward Telepsychiatry and Their Behavioral Intention to Use Telepsychiatry |
| title_short | The Attitudes and Perceptions of Israeli Psychiatrists Toward Telepsychiatry and Their Behavioral Intention to Use Telepsychiatry |
| title_sort | attitudes and perceptions of israeli psychiatrists toward telepsychiatry and their behavioral intention to use telepsychiatry |
| topic | telepsychiatry telemedicine unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology mental health services barriers and facilitative factors |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.829965/full |
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