Intention to use telemonitoring for chronic illness management and its associated factors among Nurses and Physicians at Public Hospitals in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia: Using modified UTAUT-2 model

Temesgen Ayenew Alameraw ^1* Mulusew Andualem Asemahagn ² Kassahun Dessie Gashu ³ Agmasie Damtew Walle ⁴ Jenberu Mekurianew Kelkay ⁵ Abebaw Belew Mitiku ⁶ Geleta Nenko Dube ⁴ Habtamu Alganeh Guadie ²

• ¹ Department of Health Informatics, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia, Arba Minch, Ethiopia
• ² School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, Bahir dar, Ethiopia
• ³ Department of Health Informatics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia, Gondar, Ethiopia
• ⁴ Department of Health Informatics, College of Health Sciences, Mettu University, Mettu, Ethiopia, Mettu, Ethiopia
• ⁵ Department of Health Informatics, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia, Dilla, Ethiopia
• ⁶ Department of Health Informatics, Arba Minch College of Health Sciences, Arba Minch, Ethiopia, Arba Minch, Ethiopia

Background: Patients with chronic illnesses need to take care of themselves and seek ongoing medical attention. By using these technologies, telemonitoring can minimize hospitalization and care costs while increasing professional productivity, providing constant medical attention, and enhancing patient self-care management. Despite all the advantages, nothing is known regarding Ethiopian professionals' and nurses' intentions to adopt telemonitoring technologies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the telemonitoring intention of Ethiopian professionals and nurses, as well as the factors related to it.Methods: 781 randomly chosen nurses and physicians who worked at public hospitals in Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia, participated in a cross-sectional survey. To give everyone an opportunity, the sample size was distributed equitably among the hospitals and the profession according to staffing numbers. The sample was obtained using a simple random sampling technique. Data was gathered by skilled data collectors utilizing a self-administered questionnaire.For additional cleaning and descriptive statistical analysis, the data were imported into Epi-data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25. AMOS 23 structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to ascertain the degree of the association between the variables.The response rate was 732/781 (93.7%), with 55.7% (408/732) of the participants being men and two-thirds (67.6%) (495/732) being nurses. About 55.9% with 95.0%: CI: [52. 3-59.6] of respondents intended to use telemonitoring. The desire to employ telemonitoring is positively impacted by performance expectancy (β =0.375, 95% CI: [0.258,0.494]), effort expectancy (β =0.158, 95% CI: [0.058, 0.252]), facilitating condition (β =0.255, 95% CI: [0.144, 0.368]), and habit (β =0.147, 95% CI: [0.059, 0.233]). Age and gender positively affected the link between effort expectancy and intention to employ telemonitoring. It was discovered that being young and male has a beneficial relationship impact. Age positively moderated the association between the intention to use telemonitoring and the facilitating conditions, and adults were strongly linked with the relationship.In Bahir Dar City public hospitals, over half of the doctors and nurses have the intention to use telemonitoring. Predictive indicators of intention to utilize telemonitoring that were statistically significant were performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating condition, and habit.