The Effect of Perceived Risks on Doctors’ Telemedicine Adoption: A Structural Equation Modelling Analysis

The explosive increase in telemedicine has revolutionized the distribution of health care by providing sufficient benefits in terms of ease and access. However, the perceived risks using the health care provider's desire to use telemedicine system, which is important for their success. Research examines how perceived risks influence physicians' intentions to adopt telemedicine, with a focus on communication dynamics between healthcare professionals and telemedicine providers. By analyzing the relationships between risk perceptions, attitudes, and adoption behavior using structural equation modelling (SEM), research highlights the critical role that communication plays in shaping doctors' adoption decisions. A standardized questionnaire was used to gather information from 300 doctors across a range of medical disciplines. Seven key factors were examined: perceived advantages, technological difficulty, privacy risk, financial risk, social risk, performance risk, and trust in telemedicine. To uncover the underlying structure of these factors and the role of communication in managing perceived risks, the data were initially set through an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Regression analysis then explored how these variables influenced adoption intentions. The findings revealed that while financial and social concerns had a minor impact, performance and privacy issues considerably reduced physicians' willingness to use telemedicine. Adoption intentions were positively impacted by perceived advantages; trust in telemedicine, and effective communication about the technology's benefits. Research provides insight into factors affecting telemedicine decision, addresses alleged risk to health care leaders and decision makers and advises to build trust through effective communication strategies.