Using Diffusion of Innovation Theory to Determine Missouri Providers' Perceptions of Telemedicine

The shortage in primary care physicians, the increase in the population of aging persons requiring care, and the decrease in the number of health care providers is creating an imbalance in the patient-to-provider ratio. This presentation will explain Missouri physicians’ perspectives about the use of telemedicine as a potential solution to addressing the concerns of the aging, rural patient population. A phenomenological design was used in order to capture physicians’ experience and understanding of issues confronting Missouri and how telemedicine might be used to address these concerns. Key informant interviews were conducted with 16 physicians. The primary research question addressed key informants’ experiences with telemedicine. The 5 attributes of the diffusion of innovations theory—relative advantage, compatibility, observability, trialability, and low complexity—were used to assess the subjects’ perceptions of telemedicine. Analysis included collecting and interpreting data from interviews, comparing and contrasting key informants’ responses to substantiate theoretical meaning, and mining the data for emergent themes. Findings from this study revealed that the 5 attributes of diffusion of innovations theory are not sufficient to fully explain the willingness to adopt telemedicine. The major findings of this study reveal that physicians, users, and nonusers of telemedicine are influenced by the benefits to their medical practice. The implications for social change include informing health care providers and policy makers of the need for further development around the nontechnological aspects of the telemedicine.