Distance Education through the Perspective of Students of Anesthetic Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, and Medical Imaging Technician Programs

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to assess the factors influencing the acceptance of telerehabilitation among physiotherapists in Istanbul. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 170 PTs (F/M: 94/76, mean age:29.4 years) working in Istanbul. Data were collected through a questionnaire regarding scales of ‘‘Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology’’ and ‘‘Perception of Innovation’’. UTAUT has 5 components which are ‘‘Performance Expectancy’’ (PE), ‘‘Effort Expectancy’’ (EE), ‘‘Social Influence’’ (SI), ‘‘Facilitating Conditions’’ (FC), ‘‘Behavioral Intention’’ (BI). The model was modified by adding ‘‘Telerehabilitation Usage Behavior’’ and ‘‘Perception of Innovation’’ to these structures. After preliminary analyses, structural equation modelling was employed to assess relationships between key constructs and variables within the proposed model Results: The modified UTAUT model demonstrated a good fit for understanding the acceptance of telerehabilitation among physiotherapists, as indicated by favorable goodness-of-fit indices (SRMR = 0.03, GFI = 0.99, AGFI = 0.92, CFI = 0.97, and RMSEA = 0.00). This model accounted for 68% of the variance in ‘‘Behavioral Intention’’ to use telerehabilitation and 28% of the variance in ‘‘Telerehabilitation Usage Behavior’’. The results revealed that ‘‘Behavioral Intention” directly influenced ‘‘Telerehabilitation Usage Behavior’’ (β = 0.53) and ‘‘Social Influence’’ directly affected ‘‘Behavioral Intention’’ (β = 4.96). Additionally, the relationship between ‘‘Social Influence’’ and ‘‘Behavioral Intention’’ was found to vary with age (β =-5.81, p <0.05) when examining moderator variables. Conclusion: This study emphasized the need to bridge the intention-behavior gap and consider context-specific factors to develop strategies for integrating telerehabilitation into clinical practice.