Assessment of Patients' Perception of Telemedicine Services Using the Service User Technology Acceptability Questionnaire.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this paper is to assess if similar telemedicine services integrated in the management of different chronic diseases are acceptable and well perceived by patients or if there are any negative perceptions.


METHODS
Participants suffering from different chronic diseases were enrolled in Veneto Region and gathered into clusters. Each cluster received a similar telemedicine service equipped with different disease-specific measuring devices. Participants were patients with diabetes (n = 163), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 180), congestive heart failure (n = 140) and Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices (n = 1635). The Service User Technology Acceptability Questionnaire (SUTAQ) was initially translated, culturally adapted and pretested and subsequently used to assess patients' perception of telemedicine. Data were collected after 3 months and after 12 months from the beginning of the intervention. Data for patients with implantable devices was collected only at 12 months.


RESULTS
Results at 12 months for all clusters are similar and assessed a positive perception of telemedicine. The SUTAQ results for clusters 2 (diabetes), 5 (COPD) and 7 (CHF) after 3 months of intervention were confirmed after 12 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Telemedicine was perceived as a viable addition to usual care. A positive perception for telemedicine services isn't a transitory effect, but extends over the course of time.
Chairman of Arsenàl.IT Veneto's Research Centre for eHealth Innovation, Treviso, Italy; General Manager of the Padua Teaching Hospital, Padova, Italy.
Claudio
C
Dario
Clinical Psychologist of Arsenàl.IT Veneto's Research Centre for eHealth Innovation, Treviso, Italy.
Elena
E
Luisotto
Anthropologist of Arsenàl.IT Veneto's Research Centre for eHealth Innovation, Treviso, Italy.
Enrico
E
Dal Pozzo
Project Manager of Arsenàl.IT Veneto's Research Centre for eHealth Innovation, Treviso, Italy.
Silvia
S
Mancin
Associate Professor of Health Care Management & Health Economics, Department of Business Administration, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece.
Vassilis
V
Aletras
Professor in Health Psychology and Dean of School of Health Sciences, City University, London, UK.
Stanton
S
Newman
Technical Manager of Veneto Region Health Information System, Veneto Region, Venice, Italy.
Lorenzo
L
Gubian
Technical Manager of Arsenàl.IT Veneto's Research Centre for eHealth Innovation, Treviso, Italy.
Claudio
C
Saccavini
HTA; acceptability; chronic; integrated care; perception; telemedicine