The compatibility of telehealth with health-care delivery.

There is no clear understanding about the concept of technology adoption in the health-care environment. Compatibility is one of the factors affecting telehealth adoption. We investigated the key factors of telehealth's compatibility with health centre activities. Qualitative research was carried out in 2007-2009, with 55 interviews in seven health centres and in one special care hospital. The people interviewed were physicians, nurses and physiotherapists. After analysing the interview material, we concluded that compatibility has three aspects: individual, process and organizational compatibility. Individual compatibility was manifested in four different ways: from the viewpoints of professionals, patients, communication and cooperation. Three aspects of process compatibility were introduced: scheduling, resources and complexity of processes. Modest organizing efforts with telehealth and even a lack of interest can be expressions of organizational compatibility. Functional and user-friendly technology is a basic precondition for telehealth compatibility. With thorough organizing, most of the compatibility challenges can be solved.