EXPECTATIONS, ATTITUDES AND CONCERNS OF GENERAL PRACTITIONERS IN BULGARIA REGARDING ELECTRONIC HEALTH - A PILOT STUDY, Irena Hambarova, Aneta Tosheva, Nonka Mateva

Abstract: General practitioners are one of the first medical specialists which will use Health 
Information System – the main structural unit of Bulgarian electronic health. The efficient 
implementation and use of electronic health require the study of attitudes, needs, requirements 
and concerns by end-users, such as general practitioners. The aim of the present study is to 
analyze the readiness of general practitioners to use electronic health services, what are the 
positive expectations towards it and what are the barriers that would prevent its use; what are 
the attitudes of general practitioners towards the use of health mobile applications and to health 
information online. A paper questionnaire was used for the study, distributed at a working 
meeting of the National Association of General Practitioners in Bulgaria. From the provided 
200 questionnaires, the answers of 66 general practitioners were collected. The software 
product SPSSv.17 was used for statistical processing of the results. The results show a very 
positive attitude towards the benefits of electronic health, ranging between 68.2% and 92.4% 
on the different indicators. Among the general practitioner’s concerns regarding electronic 
health are less time spent on patients (44.6%), and impaired patient confidentiality (47.6%). 
The need for training is strongly expressed in 90.9% of respondents. The positive expectations 
of general practitioners for electronic health are an important prerequisite for its successful 
use. However, the need for timely and adequate technical training addressed to general 
practitioners stands out.
Key words: electronic health, general practitioners, health mobile applications, attitudes

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