The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the transition towards digital health solutions
: evidence from telemedicine use in Germany

  • Daiki Aurélíus Baba (Student)

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the way digital health services are perceivedand valued has changed. To minimize the risk of virus transmission, digital health services havecome to the fore in place of traditional health services. A prominent example of digital healthis telemedicine as it is convenient, time saving, and meets the needs of social distancing.The purpose of this thesis is to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on telemedicineand the acceptance and use of this service by physicians in Germany. Country-specificcharacteristics of the German healthcare system are described, and physicians’ perceptions ofthe benefits and limitations of telemedicine are elaborated. The research consists of severalexpert interviews and an online survey among physicians in Germany.The results indicate that both, the acceptance and use of telemedicine among German physicianshave increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, it is evident thattelemedicine is only used in specific cases and that the service is currently merely a complementto traditional healthcare. The main benefits of telemedicine are the savings in travel time forphysicians and patients as well as improved interactions between physicians, while the mainlimitations are technical difficulties and the lack of physical patient examinations. Physicians from university hospitals, who are young and have strong technological know-how are the main users of telemedicine in Germany. Although telemedicine has not yet reached mass adoption, the outlook on telemedicine is promising, as the view on digital healthcare has shifted.
Date of Award21 Oct 2021
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa
SupervisorMarco Tulio Fundão Zanini (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Telemedicine
  • Digital health
  • eHealth
  • Healthcare in Germany
  • Use of telemedicine by physicians

Designation

  • Mestrado em Gestão e Administração de Empresas

Cite this

'