Date of Conferral

5-22-2024

Date of Award

May 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Cheryl Anderson

Abstract

Telemedicine was one of the most beneficial technologies to improve patient access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine has been well-researched in the hospital and primary care setting. There is a paucity of research that has focused on the experiences of specialty providers such as podiatrists. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand podiatrists’ perspectives on the value of telemedicine as a method of delivering care. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology was used as a theoretical framework to aid in identifying which factors are necessary for acceptance and continued use of telemedicine in podiatric clinical practices. The research questions addressed what podiatrists’ overall experiences with telemedicine were, perceived challenges identified after implementation, and perceived opportunities identified to promote continued use in the future. A total of 13 podiatrists who had experience implementing telemedicine at the onset of COVID-19 were interviewed using a semistructured format. The data collected were checked for accuracy and analyzed. The six themes that emerged from the data were new beginnings, learning process, human element, technological challenges, acceptance of technology, and collaborative care. Recommendations include interviewing a wider representation of podiatrists not limited to clinical practice to provide additional information on their acceptance and use of telemedicine in providing care for their patients. Implications for positive social change are improving access to podiatry patients, which can reduce the burden placed on the healthcare system, patients, and their physicians.

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