Differences in use of telemedicine integrated into traditional primary health care – a comparative observational study
Telemedicine in primary health care is expected to address many of the issues currently challenging service delivery. However, the impact and effect will depend on who will use the new technology.Objective The objective of the study was to investigate differences between users and non-users of telem...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02813432.2025.2457542 |
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| author | Pär Eriksson Maria Randjelovic Hans Thulesius Tora Hammar Stefan Lagrosen Evalill Nilsson |
| author_facet | Pär Eriksson Maria Randjelovic Hans Thulesius Tora Hammar Stefan Lagrosen Evalill Nilsson |
| author_sort | Pär Eriksson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Telemedicine in primary health care is expected to address many of the issues currently challenging service delivery. However, the impact and effect will depend on who will use the new technology.Objective The objective of the study was to investigate differences between users and non-users of telemedicine integrated into traditional office-based primary health care.Methods Quantitative registry-based population study in two regions in the southeast part of Sweden (n = 73,486), comparing users with non-users of telemedicine across the variables sex, age, socioeconomic status (SES), morbidity and health care seeking behaviour (HSB). Two study periods of six months were used (September 2019–February 2020 for Region Östergötland, and September 2021–February 2022 for Region Kalmar County) to collect user data. A reference period of 36 months (September 2016–August 2019) was used, to collect data on HSB.Results Users were more often women under the age of 60 and had higher morbidity (measured as resource utilisation) than non-users (p < .001). In contrast, no statistically significant differences were seen between the two groups regarding SES, measured as Care Need Index (CNI). Regarding HSB, a proxy measure (health record entries) showed more entries for users than non-users.Conclusions Our findings suggest that users are more likely to be women and below the age of 60. Likewise, users also tend to have a greater need for health care services compared to non-users, and they seek health care more often compared to non-users. No differences regarding SES were found. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3265041fe485493a88cfd6a610bce792 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0281-3432 1502-7724 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care |
| spelling | doaj-art-3265041fe485493a88cfd6a610bce7922025-02-07T05:20:40ZengTaylor & Francis GroupScandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care0281-34321502-77242025-02-0111210.1080/02813432.2025.2457542Differences in use of telemedicine integrated into traditional primary health care – a comparative observational studyPär Eriksson0Maria Randjelovic1Hans Thulesius2Tora Hammar3Stefan Lagrosen4Evalill Nilsson5Department of Medicine and Optometry, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, SwedenDepartment of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköpings Universitet, Linköping, SwedenDepartment of Medicine and Optometry, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, SwedenDepartment of Medicine and Optometry, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, SwedenDepartment of Management, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, SwedenDepartment of Medicine and Optometry, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, SwedenTelemedicine in primary health care is expected to address many of the issues currently challenging service delivery. However, the impact and effect will depend on who will use the new technology.Objective The objective of the study was to investigate differences between users and non-users of telemedicine integrated into traditional office-based primary health care.Methods Quantitative registry-based population study in two regions in the southeast part of Sweden (n = 73,486), comparing users with non-users of telemedicine across the variables sex, age, socioeconomic status (SES), morbidity and health care seeking behaviour (HSB). Two study periods of six months were used (September 2019–February 2020 for Region Östergötland, and September 2021–February 2022 for Region Kalmar County) to collect user data. A reference period of 36 months (September 2016–August 2019) was used, to collect data on HSB.Results Users were more often women under the age of 60 and had higher morbidity (measured as resource utilisation) than non-users (p < .001). In contrast, no statistically significant differences were seen between the two groups regarding SES, measured as Care Need Index (CNI). Regarding HSB, a proxy measure (health record entries) showed more entries for users than non-users.Conclusions Our findings suggest that users are more likely to be women and below the age of 60. Likewise, users also tend to have a greater need for health care services compared to non-users, and they seek health care more often compared to non-users. No differences regarding SES were found.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02813432.2025.2457542Quantitative studytelemedicinee-consultationhealth care seeking behaviourresource utilisation |
| spellingShingle | Pär Eriksson Maria Randjelovic Hans Thulesius Tora Hammar Stefan Lagrosen Evalill Nilsson Differences in use of telemedicine integrated into traditional primary health care – a comparative observational study Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care Quantitative study telemedicine e-consultation health care seeking behaviour resource utilisation |
| title | Differences in use of telemedicine integrated into traditional primary health care – a comparative observational study |
| title_full | Differences in use of telemedicine integrated into traditional primary health care – a comparative observational study |
| title_fullStr | Differences in use of telemedicine integrated into traditional primary health care – a comparative observational study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differences in use of telemedicine integrated into traditional primary health care – a comparative observational study |
| title_short | Differences in use of telemedicine integrated into traditional primary health care – a comparative observational study |
| title_sort | differences in use of telemedicine integrated into traditional primary health care a comparative observational study |
| topic | Quantitative study telemedicine e-consultation health care seeking behaviour resource utilisation |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02813432.2025.2457542 |
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