| dc.description.abstract | Background: Due to the ageing population, increasing care demands, and personnel shortages, eHealth questionnaire and chat tools are increasingly used in primary care. However, there is limited research on the impact of these tools on behaviour of healthcare professionals (HCPs).
Objective: This study aimed to examine the impacts of eHealth questionnaire and chat tools on the behaviour of primary care HCPs compared to traditional phone or in-person consultations.
Methods: This qualitative study involved eight semi-structured interviews at two general practices in the Netherlands with assistants, general practitioners, and a clinical nurse specialist. Interviews were transcribed verbatim using a digital tool and analysed using Thematic Analysis and the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation – Behaviour (COM-B) model, which explains behaviour through three conditions: capability, opportunity, and motivation. Additionally, fifty eHealth chat conversations between an assistant and patient were observed.
Results: The environmental context and work tasks (physical opportunities) are enhanced by the questionnaires and photos, enabling safer and more complete evaluations, potentially saving patients visits. This positively influences beliefs in quality care provision (reflective motivations) as HCPs are motivated by providing quality care, which in turn boosts job-satisfaction (automatic motivations). However, the lack of integration between different digital systems negatively affects physical opportunities and work efficiency (capabilities). Assessing eHealth's enhancement of capabilities was challenging due to varied outcomes and differing views on whether task-switching and typing versus speaking are beneficial. The evolving communication dynamic between HCPs and patients has altered HCP’s role (social opportunities), resulting in less personal and more distant interactions. Which negatively impacts job-satisfaction as HCPs express concerns over reduced personal, non-digital patient interactions.
Conclusions: The use of eHealth questionnaires and chat tools has influenced HCP behaviour, requiring further study into these effects. Additionally, exploring the relationship between HCPs and patients, patient perspectives, and improving the integration of digital systems is necessary. | |
