A questionnaire for the assessment of patients' impressions of the risks and benefits of home telecare

Home telecare is a promising method of improving access to care for rural a nd urban populations. It requires, however, that patients accept the instal lation and use of equipment in their home. How patients perceive home telec are may influence its acceptability and diffusion. We developed a questionn aire to assess patients' impressions of the risks and benefits of home tele care. A preliminary 20-item questionnaire was developed and tested on 32 su bjects. It proved to be of acceptable reliability (Cronbach's alpha of 0.8) and validity, but three items appeared to be redundant. The final 17-item version was tested twice on 10 more subjects and was found to have high tes t-retest reliability. Most subjects showed an overall positive attitude tow ards home telecare and agreed it could improve their health. Many were conc erned about being able to trust the equipment. The questionnaire can be use d to investigate the acceptance of telemedicine and to improve the design o f applications.