Effects of the characteristics of patient and emergency medical technician on the use intention of telemetry by EMT in ambulances

Abstract

This study aimed to verify the effects of patient factors perceived by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) as well as their social and organizational factors on pre-hospital telemetry Use Intention based on the technology Use Intention and elaboration likelihood models. This is a retrospective empirical study. Questionnaires were developed on the basis of clinical factors of 72,907 patients assessed by pre-hospital telemetry from January 1, 2009 to April 30, 2012 by reviewing their pre-hospital medical care records and in-hospital medical records. Questionnaires regarding the social and organizational factors of EMTs were created on the basis of a literature review. In total, 136 EMTs who had experience in utilizing pre-hospital telemetry were surveyed from April 1 to April 7, 2013. Reliability, validity, hypotheses, and the model goodness of fit of the study tools were tested. Factors that influence the use of telemetry by EMT in ambulances included patients’ clinical factors, as well as complex organizational and environmental factors surrounding their occupational environments. This suggests that the rapid Use Intention and dissemination of such systems require EMTs to be supported at both the technical and organizational levels.