Teaching research project: Acceptance of digitally supported primary care
Will digitally supported primary care be accepted by citizens and under what conditions?
As part of a teaching research project in the Digital Public Health bachelor's degree course, students visited the Digital Specialist and Health Center (DFGZ) in Olpe on 25 April 2025 to prepare for the teaching research project on the acceptance analysis of digitally supported primary care.
Fewer and fewer doctors are willing to settle in rural areas. GPs in particular are finding it difficult to find a successor. There are numerous reasons for this, including budgeting, increasing bureaucratization and a weak infrastructure in rural areas. Telemedicine is intended to help close gaps in care and enable patients to receive care close to home, e.g. through the use of audiovisual communication technologies.
The DFGZ was set up in Olpe for these reasons. The DFGZ brings nationwide specialist medical expertise to rural areas with the help of telemedicine and digitally supported diagnostics in order to reduce long distances and waiting times for an appointment.
How these new care options are perceived by citizens and under what conditions and prerequisites they are accessible at a low threshold is the topic of a teaching research project in the bachelor's degree program Digital Public Health in the summer semester of 2025. Under the direction of Dr. Joanna Albrecht and Pinar Tokgöz in the "Healthcare and Care" seminar, students will gain relevant insights for the design of telemedicine services in rural areas and discuss their findings with experts so that service structures can be more closely aligned with the needs and requirements of citizens in the future and accessibility can be improved.
The students conducted qualitative and quantitative practical research into citizens' acceptance of digitally supported primary care. A particular focus was on attitudinal acceptance and the identification of factors that promote and hinder utilization. The students discussed their results with relevant care stakeholders so that the service structures can be more closely aligned with the needs and requirements of citizens in the future and accessibility can be improved.
The project combines practical research with academic teaching and promotes exchange with regional stakeholders in the healthcare sector. For the kick-off, the students visited the DFGZ and gained exciting insights into the care processes there.
