Physician attitudes regarding telephone medicine.
OBJECTIVE
To measure physicians' attitudes regarding telephone medicine and identify determinants of these attitudes.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Ten internal medicine residency programs in the United States.


METHODS
Graduates from 1988 through 1992. The response rate was 62% (n = 356).


RESULTS
Survey items were assigned to one of four types of variables: demographic, attitude, training, or system variables. We used factor analysis to consolidate information from the individual questions about attitudes. Six scales describing attitudes toward telephone medicine were identified. Cronbach's alpha was greater than 0.70 for all scales. One scale measured physicians' satisfaction and confidence with the management of patient calls. Other attitude scales measured the helpfulness of personal experience or informal education and the importance of formal training in telephone medicine. Three of the scales measured how comfortable the physician felt prescribing over the telephone. We used regression analysis to predict physician attitudes towards telephone medicine using the demographic, training, and system variables. Availability of the patient's chart, feeling prepared for telephone medicine by one's residency training, and being comfortable prescribing narcotics by telephone predicted satisfaction and confidence with the management of patient calls (R2 = .25).


CONCLUSIONS
Several physician attitudes regarding telephone medicine can be measured reliably. Our findings suggest that improving systems for managing patient calls and improving telephone training for physicians will improve physician satisfaction and confidence with the practice of telephone medicine.
Hannis
M D
MD
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA.
Hazard
R L
RL
Rothschild
M
M
Elnicki
D M
DM
Keyserling
T C
TC
DeVellis
R F
RF
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine