Research articlePerceptions of caregivers and adolescents of the use of telemedicine for the child sexual abuse examination
Section snippets
What is known
Telemedicine is emerging as an innovative solution to the shortage of child abuse pediatricians who perform the child sexual abuse evaluation. There is currently no research that explores caregiver’s and patient’s perceptions of this technology for the sexual abuse exam.
What this study adds
We demonstrated that telemedicine was widely accepted by adolescents and caregivers when used for the child sexual abuse examination. Drivers of satisfaction included good virtual communication and professionalism by the telemedicine provider.
Interview guide development
Constructs from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) were used to guide the conceptual framework and aid in understanding factors that may shape acceptance of technology in this population (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989) (Fig. 1). The developers of TAM adapted the model from the Theory of Reasoned Actions (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). The model suggests that one’s attitude towards technology is related to behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use. In
Results
From January to July 2017 40 caregivers and adolescents were recruited to participate in the study based on eligibility and purposive sampling. Those that were recruited, but did not respond after two follow up phone calls were withdrawn from the study. Thematic saturation was considered reached when no new themes emerged that would be consistent with the research question. (Saunders et al., 2017) After study team members agreed it was reached, two additional TM interviews were completed to
Discussion
We set out to understand the perspectives of both adolescents and caregivers of the use of TM for the CSA exam. We felt this was an important area to explore, as there is no prior literature directly addressing patient and caregiver views of this technology, specifically for the child sexual abuse examination.
In 2015 JAMA published a Viewpoint article warning of potential consequences of the rapid expansion of new digital health technologies. It encouraged physicians to ensure new products
Conclusions
TM was widely accepted by adolescents and caregivers when used for the child sexual abuse examination. Participants had an overwhelming positive response regardless of severity of sexual abuse or prior experience with technology. Behaviors that helped patients and caregivers feel comfortable included a clear explanation from the medical team, evidence of professionalism, and virtual communication competency.
Conflicts of interest
None
Acknowledgements
This study was funded by the Ray E. Helfer Society Education Grant
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