A Clinician's Perspective on Anywhere Working and Telehealth

Abstract

Clinicians (general practitioners, specialists, allied health professionals) are experts in medicine, not technology. The delivery of healthcare using technology includes changes to the way the clinician works; in effect, they work from anywhere. This study examined telehealth adoption from the perspective of clinicians. Data was collected from 44 in-depth interviews undertaken with a variety of Australian clinicians. The findings show that telehealth is a complex endeavor involving multiple stakeholders. While the potential of telehealth service provision is significant, the realities of delivering telehealth services involve many challenges. These include technology-related issues, lack of funding and financial incentives for telehealth, the changing skills and capabilities required by clinicians who engage in telehealth consultations, as well as changes to business processes resulting from the introduction of telehealth in a complex environment. A conceptual model for the adoption of sustainable telehealth is proposed for a better understanding of these complexities.