Personal factors influencing outpatient nurses’ care environment in online medical treatment

A cross-sectional survey of hospitals with 200 or more beds

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of personal factors related to outpatient nurses’ care environment in online medical treatment. The survey was administered to 225 outpatient nurses working in hospitals with 200 or more beds. The primary outcomes were knowledge, attitudes, and practice. Additionally, the relationships between personal factors were examined. A χ2 test of independence was conducted for each item to compare classified personal factors between attributes. A total of 135 nurses were included in the analysis. Regarding “knowledge” of online medical treatment, the proportion of respondents who were familiar with “telemedicine” was significantly higher among nurses with “11 years or more” of experience in handling telephone consultations in outpatient departments than among those with “3–10 years” and “less than 3 years” of experience. This was also true for nurses “with position” compared to those “without position.” In the five “attitude” items, awareness of communication techniques using ICT was significantly higher among nurses with “11 years or more” of experience in handling telephone consultations in outpatient departments than among those with “10 years or less” of experience. Additionally, the proportion of outpatient nurses who reported ideal “practice” of using visual information was significantly higher for nurses “with position” than for those “without position.” These findings highlight the significance and benefits of introducing online medical treatment to all medical staff in healthcare institutions, suggesting the need to expand educational programs that focus on both knowledge and attitudes toward online medical treatment for the safe dissemination.