Factors influencing healthcare providers’ attitude and willingness to use information technology in diabetes management

Abstract

Background The use of information technologies could help to improve communications between patients and care providers, might improve overall patient management practice. However, the potential for implementing these patient management options in Ethiopia has not been well documented. This institution-based survey aimed to describe the attitude and willingness of care providers towards the use of information technologies for managing diabetes patients, and factors influencing their interest. Methods A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted on 423 study participants from February to March 2020 at two teaching hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia, where remote monitoring patients had not been implemented. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the required data. Other than descriptive statistics, the binary logistic regression analysis method was used to identify factors associated with attitude. Also, the negative binomial regression method was used to identify factors associated with willingness to use information technologies. Result A total of 406 participants (69.7%, n = 283 nurses and 30.3%, n = 123 physicians) were completed survey. Overall, 64% of respondents had a favorable attitude towards remote monitoring, and the majority of them were willing to use voice call (74.4%), text message (62.1%), video conference (61.3%), e-mail (60.6%), and social media (57.4%) as a source of communication to support patients. The result of regression analysis shows that having a computer (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI: [1.3, 3.8]), innovativeness (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI: [1.8, 4.3]), and practice of supporting patient by electronic technologies (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI: [1.1, 2.6]) were significantly associated with attitude to remote monitoring. Attitude towards remote monitoring (IRR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1–4.7), computer use (IRR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.162–3.023), frequently searching health-related information (IRR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.459–6.570), gender (IRR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0–5.1), awareness towards remote monitoring (IRR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1–2.7) were significantly associated with willingness to use information technologies. Conclusion Improving the intention and skill of using computers should be a major point of attention for teaching hospitals who wish to improve their care providers' attitudes to remote monitoring and willingness in using information technologies. Besides, the awareness of professionals is crucial for improving willingness.

Awareness and readiness to use telemonitoring to support diabetes care among care providers at teaching hospitals in Ethiopia: an institution-based cross-sectional study

“…The detailed demographic characteristics of participants were described previously. 36 As described in detail previously, 36 the majority of participants were men (61.31%) and 57.6% of them were below the age of 30 years.…”

Pharmacists’ Perspectives on the Use of Telepharmacy in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

“…It indicated that the lack of access to computers and smartphones can act as a barrier to the implementation of ICTs. 25 Regarding behaviors related to telepharmacy, 58.7% of pharmacists met the requirements of practice about using telepharmacy. Telepharmacy could deliver outstanding benefits.…”

“…This result was consistent with the Ethiopian study, wherein 83% of healthcare providers were willing to use one or more ICTs to support long-term patients. 25 A study in the United States on Telehealth showed that 28.57% of participants were likely to use ICTs in healthcare. 26 This variance might be due to differences in study population and the time of the study.…”

“…This result was in line with other previous studies conducted in Ethiopia and Spain. 25,30 The Ethiopian study (2021) reported that respondents who had a favorable attitude toward remote monitoring were more willing to use different ICT to support patients remotely (positive: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1-4.7). 25 Also, when the practice of using telepharmacy was achieved, they were more active and ready to use this approach.…”

Healthcare Providers’ Intention to Use Technology to Attend to Clients in Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ghana

“…Improving the intention and skill of using computers should be a major point of attention for teaching hospitals who wish to improve their care providers' attitudes to remote monitoring and willingness in using information technologies. Besides, the awareness of professionals is crucial for improving willingness [12]. Undoubtedly, researchers investigated and published a theoretical model to elucidate user's information technology acceptance and use, for example, the theory of reasoned action [13,14], the theory of planned behaviour [15,16], besides the technology acceptance model (TAM) [17,18], and customer adoption of information technology in the direction of a unified view model [18].…”