Research Paper 2: Conceptual Framework

• Topic of Interest

Telehealth is the future of healthcare and this is because through it, patients and providers are connected as they have been especially in the interior regions (Omboni et al., 2022). This paper investigates the key focuses of telehealth as a capital-intensive intervention with the potential of enhancing patient outcomes and satisfaction when confronted with hurdles including geographical barriers, skill deficient staff, and dearth of specialized personnel.

The studies of the topic aim at integrating telehealth into health care delivery for a target group of people living in rural areas. To assess the performance benefits of telehealth for patients, such as disease control and emergency treatment – as well as the non-performance benefits, such as trust and convenience of access – the study aims to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of this approach. This topic is relevant and topical; it makes a methodological contribution to future research on digital health innovation, and has direct practical implications for the future of rural health services.

Theory of the Study

The research framework for this study is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which is the most commonly used theoretical model for predicting the use of new technologies (Katebi et al., 2022). TAM highlights two primary factors influencing technology use: The two variables that were measures are Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU). Perceived Usefulness refers to the attitude towards the effect of using the telehealth to enhance the healthcare delivery system.

For example, traditional techniques of patient attendance in rural areas are minimized, quality of specialized care is improved, and timely medical intervention is provided through telehealth. Perceived Ease of Use refers to how complex or simple the challenge of telehealth platforms is in that it should not pose a challenge in terms of complexity to patients or the health practitioners using the platforms. TAM is especially important when discussing travellers’ telehealth service utilisation due to its applicability to the rural healthcare context. 

We noted that patients and providers in rural areas are likely to have low technological capital and might experience low levels of digital literacy, low or no technological access, and trust issues when it comes to use of technology in healthcare. In line with this research gap, the current study builds upon the technology acceptance model (TAM) by including these contextual factors to examine the way in which telehealth affects patient outcomes and satisfaction levels. By so doing, the research hopes to examine the complexities of enablers and inhibitors that influence telehealth success within the rural context.

Conceptual Framework Visual

This work has a conceptual framework visual which is used to depict how different variables in this study interrelate. At the pinnacle of the framework, the inputs include; rural healthcare practitioners; patients, and infrastructures, such as the internet, and telemedicine solutions. These inputs affect the mediators which are Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use, which are variables in the Technology Acceptance Model.

The mediators are the enablers of getting there with positive health outcomes such as better chronic care and emergency response and higher patient satisfaction, for instance, convenience and trust. Arrows linking the inputs to mediators and mediators to outcomes characterise the influence flow, asserting that only if telehealth has been perceived as usable and valuable in rural setting it has a substantial impact on the healthcare functioning.

Conceptual Framework Explanation

A presentation of this research on the telehealth influences on patient outcomes and satisfaction in healthcare facilities in rural contexts falls under the literature of healthcare advancement and digital health change. Telehealth is now being considered as a way to solve existing inequalities in health care, especially in rural settings where availability of some types of health care is scarce. The study uses the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) for purposes of theoretical frame of reference since this model has been widely applied in the analysis of adoption behaviors towards technologies. TAM’s two constructs of Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use play into the consideration of how telehealth can address such factors that include; geographical accessibility, resource constraints and health workforce scarcity in rural health care setting (Malik & Annuar, 2021).

In extending TAM, this research acknowledges the following contextual factors linked with rural points of view: digital literacy, infrastructure access, and cultural perception of remote care. In reviewing these variables, the study furthers the theoretical framework to propose how telehealth effects health outcomes and patient satisfaction. The research also seeks to fill a research gap in that it targets to explore the rural healthcare concerning the telehealth’s adoption.

The purpose of this research study includes the following: The assessment of patient outcomes when using telehealth services The examination of telehealth patient satisfaction The exploration of the challenges associated with telehealth implementation in rural settings. This research focuses on the following antecedotes, namely, perceived telehealth usefulness and ease of use and effectiveness of the same in reaching out for the underprivileged cohorts. Thus, the analysis of this relationship adds to the existing body of knowledge on how DH technologies can assist in mitigating. The study advances the understanding of how DH technologies can successfully help address problems in health care accessibility with regard to equity and policy making as well as improve healthcare services in rural regions.

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