Telemedicine System Quality From Physicians’ Perspectives: Key Determinants and Its Impact on Service Effectiveness via Interaction Quality

Telemedicine has emerged as a transformative approach in healthcare delivery; however, existing research has predominantly overlooked the evaluation of system quality from the perspective of physicians, who are the primary agents of patient care. This study addresses this gap by conceptualizing and empirically validating a theoretical model to identify the critical determinants of telemedicine system quality, with a particular focus on their influence on the quality of physician-patient interactions and the effectiveness of healthcare services provided through this system. Drawing on data collected from 129 physicians in Indonesia, this study employs partial least squares structural equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test and confirm seven hypotheses at a significance level of p < 0.05. The findings revealed three pivotal determinants of telemedicine system quality: physician technological readiness, telemedicine alignment to care process, and physician telemedicine literacy. These factors contribute to the enhanced quality of clinical interactions, which in turn lead to an improvement in the overall effectiveness of telemedicine services. This study advances the theoretical understanding of telemedicine system quality from the physician’s perspective, identifying key determinants that influence service effectiveness. By translating these theoretical insights into practical approaches, the study proposes actionable insights for healthcare providers and system designers to optimize telemedicine systems, ultimately improving clinician-patient communication and enhancing the overall effectiveness of telemedicine services in the digital era.