“Telemedicine has certainly changed the way we work: We do more phone consultations now.” 

Abstract

Background Teleconsultation has gained increased attention in primary care as a means to deliver healthcare services remotely. This qualitative study explores the perceptions and challenges of healthcare providers regarding the implementation and use of teleconsultation in their practice. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with GPs working in different organizational primary care forms, to gain insights into their experiences with teleconsultation. The interviews focused on the perceived benefits, limitations, and barriers associated with teleconsultation, as well as the expectations for its future role in healthcare. Results The most noteworthy finding is that GPs overwhelmingly refer to telephone consultations when talking about remote consultations or telemedicine. When it comes to the experiences regarding these remote consultations, GPs identified the challenges associated with managing patient behavior and massively increased workload as most important. Only after inquiry, video consultation was mentioned as mean of remote consultation. Regarding video-consultation technological issues, such as outdated software and the need for user-friendly platforms, were hindering factors. Concerns regarding patient privacy and data protection emerged as important considerations in the use of teleconsultation. Moreover, the lack of institutional support and infrastructure for telemedicine implementation was a recurring theme, emphasizing the need for investments and resources. Conclusion It is of great importance to know that GPs mainly mean telephone consultations when talking about remote consultations. This is in contrary to literature, where video consultations or consultations through specific apps or messenger services were meant with remote consultations. Against this background, it becomes clear where GPs need to be picked up in communication. Furthermore, GPs identified various challenges and limitations associated with the implementation of remote consultations which should be tackled immediately if the topic should evolve in Austria. These findings provide valuable insights for healthcare organizations and policymakers aiming to enhance telemedicine implementation in primary care settings.