Attitudes of the Public to Receiving Medical Care during Emergencies through Remote Physician–Patient Communications

Matilda Hamlin, Steinn Steingrimsson, Itzhak Cohen, Victor Bero, Avishay Bar-Tl and Bruria Adini
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Matilda Hamlin: Emergency Management & Disaster Medicine Department., School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 39040 Tel Aviv, Israel
Steinn Steingrimsson: Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
Itzhak Cohen: Emergency Management & Disaster Medicine Department., School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 39040 Tel Aviv, Israel
Victor Bero: Meuhedet Health Services, Eben Gabirol 124, 62038 Tel Aviv, Israel
Avishay Bar-Tl: Meuhedet Health Services, Eben Gabirol 124, 62038 Tel Aviv, Israel
Bruria Adini: Emergency Management & Disaster Medicine Department., School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 39040 Tel Aviv, Israel

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-12

Abstract: Providing health services through remote communications for sub-acute health issues during emergencies may help reduce the burden of the health care system and increase availability of care. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of the public towards receiving medical services and providing medical information through remote communication in times of emergencies. During the pandemic outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), pandemic outbreak, 507 participants answered a structured online survey, rating their mean willingness to receive medical care and provide medical information, on a four-point Likert scale. Furthermore, demographic characteristics, social media use, and trust in data protection was collected. The mean willingness to receive medical services was 3.1 ± 0.6 and the mean willingness to provide medical information was 3.0 ± 0.7, with a strong significant correlation between the two ( r = 0.76). The multiple regression model identified higher trust in data protection, level of education, and social media use as statistically significant predictors for a higher willingness to receive medical information while the first two predicted willingness to provide information. The findings suggest an overall positive attitude to receive medical care through remote communications.

Keywords: remote communications; patient willingness; emergency management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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