Adoption of telemedicine by French public health professionals during the covid-19 pandemic

Résumé 0

The practice of telemedicine, although hesitantly used in France for years, found itself at the forefront during the pandemic crisis, especially during various lockdown periods. Despite its perception as the only way to ensure continuity of patient care during the COVID-19 crisis, its adoption and dissemination by French users and professionals are mixed. Indeed, despite the enthusiasm with which the practice was received during lockdowns, it continues to face multiple criticisms regarding the acceptance of its diffusion, even during the pandemic. Proceeding from the assumption that telemedicine is a promising alternative to support organizational reforms (telemedicine consultations have been legally recognized since 2019), this article attempts to understand the factors that influence healthcare professionals’ intention to adopt it. To do this, we rely on the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework to highlight explanatory dimensions. For the empirical study, our research uses mixed methods. It relies on the mobilization of secondary data published by the Odoxa firm and supplemented by semi-structured interviews conducted with healthcare professionals (doctors and nurses). By focusing particularly on care professionals, we show that the adoption of telemedicine by caregivers is strongly correlated with technological, organizational, and environmental factors, as well as certain aspects related to the patient.