Abstract:
Introduction: Teleconsultation encompasses the delivery of medical consultation services via digital communication technologies, enabling healthcare providers and patients to engage remotely. By incorporating teleconsultation into healthcare systems, access to medical services has improved significantly, particularly for individuals residing in rural or underserved regions, while also offering greater convenience for patients who face mobility challenges or time limitations. Ethiopia is investing on digital health to foster health services. The implementation of teleconsultation is low in resource limited countries including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess healthcare provider’s intension to use teleconsultation and identify its predictors in Bahir Dar public hospitals.
Methods: Cross-sectional study design was employed among 924 healthcare providers working at Bahir Dar City public hospitals. Study participants were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire. Data entry and analysis performed by Epi Data version 4.6, and Statistical Package for Social Science version 27 respectively. The degree of correlations between exogenous and endogenous variables were described and validated using Structural Equation Modeling using Analysis of Moment and Structure version 26.
Result: A total of 841 healthcare providers participated in the study with a response rate of 91.0% of them 56.0% (471/841) were male and 38.4% (324/841) of participants were nurses. The proportion of intention to use teleconsultation was 61.1% (514/841) with 95%: CI: (57.7%-64.4%) The SEM analysis has shown that performance expectancy (β =0.248, P<0.01), hedonic motivation (β =0.308, P<0.01), computer literacy (β =0.106, P<0.05) and habit (β =0.155, P<0.01) had a positive direct relationship with intention to use teleconsultation. Gender was also a moderator in the relationship of performance expectancy with intention to use teleconsultation.
Conclusion and recommendation: (61.1%) of healthcare providers at public hospitals in Bahir Dar have the intention to use teleconsultation. Thus, the implementers need to give priority to enhancing, healthcare providers, and knowledge of teleconsultation by giving continuous support to improve healthcare provider’s intention to use it
