Health professionals' attitudes to videoconferencing in paediatric health-care

This study surveyed staff involved in paediatric health-care in the state of New South Wales. Questionnaires were sent to: 139 medical professionals in paediatric public health; 157 medical professionals in private practice; 179 nurses; and 125 allied health staff. There were 188 completed surveys (31%). The results showed higher endorsement of videoconferencing for educational or psychosocial applications than for patient management or treatment planning. Medical professionals (especially those in private practice) tended to give the lowest ratings for the potential usefulness of telemedicine. Apart from ratings for various effects of time and distance in the work setting, rural and non-rural professionals generally showed no significant differences, especially in attitudes to and understanding of telemedicine. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that ratings for the future use of videoconferencing (if it were available); in particular ratings for future use of telecommunications technology (e.g. email, telephone conferencing), were determined by factors largely independent of access to telemedicine. The data assist in interpreting the under-use of videoconferencing in health-care.