Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association
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Telehealth interventions are feasible and efficacious. While patients are the focus of both quantitative and qualitative studies that assess their response to telehealth, little is known about the view of providers of telehealth services. The purpose of this study was to better understand the experiences of providers and the factors that they perceive to contribute to the success of telehealth interventions as well as to their own satisfaction. ⋯ These included opportunities for more frequent contact with patients, greater relaxation and information due to the ability to interact with the patients in their own homes, increased ability to reach the underserved, more timely and accurate medical monitoring, and improved management of data. The primary disadvantages of telehealth they identified were technology problems and a concern about the lack of physical contact with patients. Findings illustrate providers' perspectives on the unique advantages of telehealth and offer insight as to how to make telehealth interventions more effective, as well as more satisfying for those who do the day-to-day work of providing the interventions.