What would influence mental health professionals working in Native / First Nations reserves to refer their patient to telepsychotherapy services? G. Robillard, M.Sc., S. Bouchard, Ph.D., & M. Séguin, Ph.D. Cyberpsychology Lab of the Université du Québec en Outaouais (Canada) Contact: Website: w3.uqo.ca/cyberpsy

Introduction The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM*) suggests that two major factors contribute to the intention of using a specific technology: –a) the Perceived Ease of Use; –b) the Perceived Usefulness. Their impact is mediated by the user’s attitude. *Davis, 1989, 1993; Schneider et al., 1999; Venkatesh, 2000 Comfort of use Intention of use Attitude toward using it Perceived ease of use Perceived usefulness

Introduction Bertrand & Bouchard (2007) adapted and tested how the TAM applies to the use of VR to treat mental disorders (N=141). They found: –The intention to use VR is essentially predicted only by the perceived usefulness of this technology. Would these unexpected findings also be found in telehealth, especially with professional who are not yet familiar with the technology involved?

Goals of this study To explore factors related to the intention of referring patients to videoconference-based telepsychotherapy among mental health professionals working on Natives / First Nations reserves. Need help? Yes please!

Participants 76 mental health “professionals”; From 12 Native/ First Nations reserves: –(all from the Province of Québec, Canada); 74.5% Women; 43.1% aged between years old; 52.7% French speaking (47.3% English); Variety of professional background: –(e.g. 30% social workers, 3.6% nurses, etc.). Note: The study is still underway as we are targeting a sample of 180 participants (over 27 reserves).

Method Paper-Pencil version of Bertrand & Bouchard’s Questionnaire; Reworded to be applied for videoconferencing; Main variables: –Perceived usefulness; –Perceived ease of use; –Comfort for the patient to use VC; –Attitudes of professionals towards the use of VC by their patients. French and English versions we used.

Results The multiple regression analysis predicting the intention to use telepsychotherapy was significant [F (4,73) = 30.67, p <.001, Adj.R 2 =.62] Predictors β t Part sr 2  Perceived usefulness ***.27  Perceived ease of use **.19  Comfort of use  Attitude towards telehealth *** p < 0.001; ** p < 0.01 *** **

Discussion Preliminary results confirm Bertrand & Bouchard’s (2007) findings that perceived usefulness is a key predictor, over and above more personal variables such as attitude towards the technology and comfort of use. However, as proposed in the original TAM model, perceived ease of use seems to also play a significant role as well.

Conclusion Our results suggest that we need educate professionals on how videoconferencing can be a useful tool that is easy to use instead of putting our efforts on factors such as comfort or attitude toward the technology. Further studies should target larger samples, other populations and professionals that are familiar with telepsychotherapy.

Thank you! Contact info: Geneviève Robillard, M.Sc. Laboratoire de Cyberpsychologie Université du Québec en Outaouais C.P. 1250, Succ. Hull, Gatineau (Qc), J8X 3X7 CANADA T: (819) x 2531 Web: BY THE WAY: HAPPY 400 TH BIRTHDAY TO ALL QUEBECERS!!!!