https://doi.org/10.14528/snr.2022.56.4.3150
2022. Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
ABSTRACT 
Introduction: Telemedicine is becoming an increasingly important strategy for the management of chronic 
diseases, which cause a high proportion of deaths in Slovenia. The aim of this study was to investigate user 
experiences related to the use of telemedicine devices and experiences with telemedicine among patients 
diagnosed with chronic diseases in primary care.
Methods: We conducted four focus groups with 19 patients with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension in 
July 2020 in a Slovenian primary health care centre. Transcripts were analysed according to the principles of 
inductive thematic analysis.
Results: Using inductive thematic analysis, seven themes were identified: advantages and disadvantages 
of telemedicine, ease of use of telemedicine, two-way communication with health professionals, impact of 
telemedicine on patients' health, desire to use telemedicine and its accessibility, influence and support from 
the environment, and concern for own health. The themes are composed of 10 subthemes and 29 factors.
Discussion and conclusion: Regular use of telemedicine is most strongly influenced by patients' perceived 
need to use it and instructions from health professionals. Despite patients' positive experiences of using 
telemedicine devices, an individual assessment of their suitability for each patient is needed, including an 
assessment of the patient's health status, attitude towards health, and level of digital literacy.
IZVLEČEK 
Uvod: Telemedicinska obravnava stopa v ospredje kot strategija za obvladovanje kroničnih nenalezljivih 
bolezni, ki v Sloveniji povzročijo visok delež smrti. Namen raziskave je bil preučiti, kakšne izkušnje imajo 
pacienti z diagnozo kronične bolezni tako z uporabo telemedicinske opreme kot s telemedicinsko obravnavo 
v ambulanti družinske medicine. 
Metode: Julija 2020 so bile v enem od slovenskih zdravstvenih domov izvedene štiri fokusne skupine z 19 
pacienti s sladkorno boleznijo tipa 2 in/ali visokim krvnim tlakom. Prepisi skupinskih pogovorov so bili 
analizirani po načelih induktivne tematske analize. 
Rezultati: S pomočjo induktivne tematske analize je bilo oblikovanih sedem tem: prednosti in slabosti 
telemedicinske obravnave, enostavnost uporabe telemedicinske opreme, dvosmerna komunikacija z 
zdravstvenim osebjem, učinki telemedicinske obravnave na zdravstveno stanje pacientov, želja po uporabi 
in dostopnosti telemedicinske obravnave, vpliv in opora okolja ter skrb za lastno zdravje. Teme vsebujejo 10 
podtem in 29 dejavnikov. 
Diskusija in zaključek: Na izvajanje telemedicinskih meritev najbolj vplivajo zaznana potreba pacientov 
in navodila zdravstvenega osebja. Kljub pozitivni izkušnji pacientov z uporabo telemedicinske opreme 
je potrebna strokovna presoja primernosti tovrstne obravnave na individualni ravni, ki ne vključuje le 
zdravstvenega stanja pacientov, marveč tudi oceno njihovega odnosa do zdravja in digitalnih veščin.
Key words: primary health 
care; diabetes; qualitative study; 
hypertension; telemedicine; 
user experience
Ključne besede: primarno 
zdravstveno varstvo; diabetes; 
kvalitativna raziskava; 
hipertenzija; telemedicina; 
uporabniška izkušnja
1 University of Ljubljana, 
Faculty of Social Sciences, 
Kardeljeva ploščad 5, 1000 
Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 University Clinical Centre 
Ljubljana, Zaloška cesta 2, 1000 
Ljubljana, Slovenia
* Corresponding author/
Korespondenčni avtor:  
andraz.petrovcic@fdv.uni-lj.si
Original scientific article/Izvirni znanstveni članek
Experience of patients with chronic conditions with telemedicine in primary 
care: A focus group analysis
Izkušnje kronično obolelih pacientov s telemedicinsko obravnavo v ambulantah 
družinske medicine: analiza fokusnih skupin
Katja Prevodnik1, Simona Hvalič-Touzery1, Vesna Dolničar1, Jelka Zaletel2, Jerneja Laznik1, Andraž Petrovčič1, *
Received/Prejeto: 16. 11. 2021
Accepted/Sprejeto: 2. 10. 2022
247Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
Introduction
Chronic non-communicable diseases are responsible 
for 70% of all deaths in Slovenia (OECD, 2019), and 
we are seeing an increase in the number of people with 
diagnosed diabetes (Eržen, Zaletel, & Nadrag, 2020) and 
high blood pressure (Božič et al., 2020). At the same time, 
digital technologies now offer the possibility of using 
telemedicine in people with chronic diseases, which 
can significantly improve patients' medical treatment 
and have a positive impact on their overall quality of 
life (Gellis et al., 2012; van den Berg, Schumann, Kraft, 
& Hoffmann, 2012; Petrovčič, Peek, & Dolničar, 2019). 
Telemedicine refers to remote medical treatment by 
means of telemedicine devices, which eliminates the 
need for the patient to be physically present in the clinic 
(Snoswell et al., 2020). Telemedicine devices include 
monitoring devices (e.g. blood pressure and/or glucose 
monitors) and communication devices (e.g. tablets or 
smartphones running dedicated mobile applications) 
for the two-way exchange and transmission of data, 
forming a unified whole that allows health professionals 
to monitor and treat patients remotely (Goodwin, 
2010).
The most common barriers to the adoption of 
telemedicine services by patients are related to the 
characteristics of the technology and supporting 
services (e.g. technical difficulties and inadequate 
support), telemedicine procedures (e.g., patients not 
using such devices regularly and seeing repetitive 
tasks as monotonous and tedious), users' attitudes 
towards technology (e.g., fear of technology, belief 
that telemedicine is unnecessary), and the desire for 
physical contact in medical treatment, expressed, 
for example, in patients' concerns that the use of 
telemedicine devices would lead to the loss of face-to-
face contact with health professionals (Cimperman, 
Brenčič, Trkman, & Stanonik, 2013; Joo & Liu, 2021). 
Such barriers depend on patient characteristics, the 
type of technology used and the availability of support 
services for the operation of telemedicine devices, as 
well as their design and perceived usefulness in terms 
of their limited flexibility to accommodate patient 
preferences and needs, as well as in their opacity, 
imprecision and/or unreliability (Aberer, Hochfellner, 
& Mader, 2021; Joo & Liu, 2021). Appropriate app 
design is particularly important for older patients with 
lower levels of digital skills and who tend to be more 
reluctant to use health apps on mobile devices.
Barriers to the use of telemedicine are also related 
to the systemic use of telemedicine and telemedicine 
devices in health care (Joo & Liu, 2021). In this 
respect, Slovenia lags far behind the most advanced 
EU member states (European Commission, 2018; 
Oliveira Hashiguchi, 2020), as only few telemedicine 
pilot services have been implemented and researched 
here (Cimperman et al., 2013; Beštek & Brodnik, 
2015; Rudel, Slemenik-Pušnik, Epšek-Lenart, Balorda, 
& Lavre, 2016; Cimperman, Brenčič, & Trkman, 
2016; Janković et al., 2020; Kaufman, Rudel, & Rudel, 
2020). The first comprehensive description of existing 
telemedicine solutions in Slovenia was provided by 
Rant & Rudel (2021), who identified the problem 
of low national utilisation of such services and their 
integration into the national health and social care 
system. Existing telemedicine services in Slovenia focus 
on tertiary (e.g. CEZAR; Rudel et al., 2016), secondary 
(e.g. T-MED Gluco in diabetes clinics; Kaufman et al., 
2020) and primary care (e.g. SOSTOP and E-Health 
Telekom; Rudel et al., 2016), which includes primary 
care outpatient clinics (Pečelin & Sočan, 2016). 
Research has shown positive impacts of telemedicine in 
terms of improved patient clinical outcomes (Aberer et 
al., 2021), financial benefits (Snoswell et al., 2020) and 
positive psychological impact on the user (Gellis et al., 
2012; van den Berg et al., 2012). In Slovenia, research 
related to primary health care has mainly focused on 
the quality of care, patient outcomes (Petek & Mlakar, 
2016) and health promotion (Janković et al., 2020), 
while there is a lack of comprehensive evaluation of 
telemedicine with user experience as a key aspect.
Aims and objectives
The aim of the study was to provide an in-depth 
evaluation of the experience of patients diagnosed with 
type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension with telemedicine 
and use of telemedicine devices in a primary care 
outpatient clinic. We addressed the following research 
question: What are the patients' experiences with the 
use of telemedicine equipment and the inclusion in 
telemedicine services? 
Methods
We adopted a qualitative research approach and used 
the focus group method. This provided a comprehensive 
and in-depth insight into the factors that contribute to 
the experience of telemedicine in patients with chronic 
diseases at the primary level of health care in Slovenia. 
This is a widely used method of collecting information 
on the views of health service users and patients with 
chronic diseases (Lehoux, Poland, & Daudelin, 2006). 
The focus is on the interaction between focus group 
participants (Polit & Beck, 2014), who are more willing 
to share sensitive and personal information and views 
in group discussions, especially if the focus group 
has a common characteristic, which in our sample is 
experience with chronic diseases and participation in 
intervention research (Guest, Namey, Taylor, Eley, & 
McKenna, 2017).
Description of the research instrument
We developed a focus group guide that served as 
the basis for conducting the group discussions. The 
248 Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
topics of the guide were based on existing scientific 
publications and expanded based on the results of 
quantitative intervention research (Hvalič-Touzery, 
Dolničar, Prevodnik, Škafar, & Petrovčič, 2019). The 
guide was divided into seven thematic units/clusters, 
within which we asked respondents about their user 
experiences and expectations, their experiences with 
telemedicine and telemedicine devices, the impact of 
the use thereof on chronic disease management, and 
the desire for their further use. In addition to the key 
starting points, follow-up questions were prepared for 
the moderator to encourage reflections and responses 
from the focus group participants. The full text of the 
guide and the focus group guide are available from 
the corresponding author of the article. An example 
of a thematic question in one cluster: Did you notice 
any changes in your life, perhaps in the way you think 
about your life and illness, while you were using the 
telemedicine devices? Is there a particular experience 
you can share? Examples of sub-questions: Were 
the telemedicine devices helpful? Please describe in 
what way. Did they give you relief? Did the use of the 
telemedicine devices represent an additional burden or 
stress? How did you perceive them yourself? What about 
your loved ones (family, relatives)? Did they also notice 
any changes? If yes, which ones? 
Description of the sample
A total of 103 patients who had participated in the 
intervention study in 2019 (Hvalič-Touzery et al., 
2019) were invited to participate in this study. This 
was a purposive sample. The focus groups included 
19 patients with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension, 
representing almost one fifth of all participants in the 
intervention study. Their average age was 59.2 years 
(age range between 42 and 69 years). Nine patients 
had a secondary professional/technical qualification, 
four had vocational training or a lower qualification, 
and four had a tertiary degree (higher education or 
university education). Nine patients were retired, nine 
were currently employed, and one was unemployed. 
In total, nine men and ten women participated in the 
study. Twelve patients had hypertension, one had type 
2 diabetes and six had both chronic diseases.
Description of the research procedure and data 
analysis
The focus groups were following the first intervention 
study in Slovenia, where telemedicine was utilised 
over a longer period of time and patients with chronic 
diseases were tested in the selected outpatient clinic 
in Slovenia. Thus, our participants had already had 
extensive experience with telemedicine during the 
three months of the intervention study, in which they 
had used monitoring devices (blood pressure and/
or glucose monitors) and communication devices 
(mobile apps on tablets or smartphones) to transfer 
data and communicate with health professionals. 
The telemedicine solution tested was developed by 
Telekom Slovenije (Hvalič-Touzery et al., 2019). The 
participants of the intervention study were recruited 
by health professionals in accordance with the 
protocols established for intervention research, under 
the supervision of nurses. 
After obtaining approval from the Ethics Committee 
of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of 
Ljubljana, we conducted four focus groups in July 
2020. In determining the number of participants, we 
followed the guideline of smaller groups being more 
appropriate for topics that are relevant to participants 
and on which participants have an opinion (Nyumba, 
Wilson, Derrick, & Mukherjee, 2017). Our focus 
groups were therefore comprised of between three and 
seven participants. The group discussions, which lasted 
an average of 60 minutes, were led by a moderator and 
an assistant. All discussions were audio-recorded and 
transcribed (84 pages), and all the data obtained were 
anonymised. 
The recorded discussions were analysed by an 
inductive form of thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 
2012) using Atlas.ti software (Thomas Muhr – Atlas.ti 
Scientific Software Development GmbH, Germany). In 
consultation with the research team (consisting of three 
researchers), two researchers looked for the patterns 
(themes) that emerged directly from the data collected. 
Our coding book was formulated on four levels: Code – 
Factor – Sub-theme – Theme, where seven themes and 
ten sub-themes were identified based on 99 different 
codes (the total frequency of codes in all transcripts 
was 809). The frequencies reflect the frequency of 
the responses of focus group participants, but not the 
significance of the individual themes, which is why they 
were not interpreted separately.
Results
Using inductive thematic analysis, we identified 
seven themes and ten subthemes (Figure 1). 
Advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine 
The most frequently mentioned advantages of 
telemedicine were the ability to self-monitor blood 
pressure and/or blood glucose levels, and the ability 
to have the results of these measurements monitored 
by health professionals. The latter was seen by the 
participants as motivation to take these measurements 
regularly and thus monitor their health, which they 
would otherwise not do. 
I was more encouraged and found it easier to do. To 
me, this was a kind of motivation. (F, 64) 
Patients reported that they did not continue to 
perform these measurements regularly after the end of 
the study for lack of motivation. Patients also reported 
249Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
a sense of safety knowing that health professionals 
were monitoring the results of their measurements. 
They also emphasised that they felt overwhelmed with 
health concerns (fear of the results of measurements, 
worry about health, feeling controlled by health 
professionals). 
Well yes, I do occasionally, but not as often and not 
as regularly as I did when I had this device. Because it 
forces you a bit to do it, which is ok. It only takes a couple 
of minutes, and it feels ok, not bad, but we humans are 
just so wired that we need some encouragement. (F, 59) 
An important benefit of telemedicine, according to 
patients, is the availability of measurement results over 
longer periods of time, which results in a more accurate 
identification of trends (elimination of the 'white coat 
syndrome' and familiarisation with the impact of daily 
habits on one's health – in particular with the impact of 
physical activity and nutrition on blood glucose levels), 
which in turn can form the basis for a change in treatment 
(e.g. change/initiation of therapy, new diagnosis, referral 
to a specialist). The frequency of measurements did 
not contribute to patients feeling overburdened, as they 
became routine for most. Patients with diabetes took 
measurements more frequently. Some also felt more 
burdened at the beginning – especially those who had 
not been used to taking regular measurements before 
participating in the study. 
Patients found the remote transmission of data to 
be the most useful feature of telemedicine devices, 
as it meant they no longer had to wait for a follow-
up appointment and could avoid the 'white coat 
syndrome'. Patients rated communication via 
Patients' 
experience with 
telemedicine
Ease of use of 
telemedicine:
– positive technical 
experience
– opportunities for 
improvement
Two-way 
communication with 
health professionals
Concern for own health
Influence and support 
from environment:
– impact of health professionals
– impact of the patient's 
social network
Desire to use 
telemedicine and its 
accessibility:
– acceptance of 
telemedicine
– telemedicine as part of 
the public health system
Impact of telemedicine 
on patients' health:  
– health effects
– psychological effects
Advantages and 
disadvantages of 
telemedicine:
– psychological aspect
– technical aspect
Figure 1: Themes and subthemes
250 Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
messages in the mobile app as appropriate and time-
saving. Communication via mobile devices was found 
to be more practical and faster than a personal visit to 
an outpatient clinic. It does not replace the need for a 
face-to-face visit, but it complements it well. Patients 
found that health professionals responded more to 
messages rather than calls.
Yes, and they found the solution faster. For example, if 
something was wrong, help was immediately available. 
And to be able to book an appointment and wait two or 
three days and avoid long queues is also in our favour. 
This way the doctors would also have a bit more time to 
talk. (F, 68)
Ease of use of telemedicine
Patients described the mobile app for entering 
measurements as simple and easy to understand. It was 
designed in a user-friendly way, with the user being 
guided through the user interface; using it required 
only basic knowledge of smartphone use. 
I find that the tablet or phone and the software are so 
straightforward that you can't go wrong. It warns you: you 
have to do this and that, click here to send. Then it says, 
done, next time... So I think anyone who's not familiar 
with using a tablet or smartphone can learn it very quickly. 
Because it's not a complicated system, no. (F, 41)
Participants were mostly able to develop the 
necessary skills themselves or with the help of their 
family or friends. External assistance from health or 
technical staff was only needed in case of technical 
problems (e.g. password not working to unlock the 
mobile application). Such problems were very rare 
and did not negatively affect patients' confidence 
in their own digital skills or diminish their interest 
in telemedicine. On the contrary, some patients 
suggested additional functions and upgrades for the 
equipment and interface used: (1) alerts when to take 
measurements; (2) personalised limits for acceptable 
values and alerts when these limits are exceeded; (3) 
the ability to transfer readings to a computer; (4) 
integration of other smart devices (e.g. smartwatch); 
and (5) app connectivity with other monitoring 
devices and not only those used in the intervention 
study. Patients rated the monitoring devices they used 
as comparable or better than their own monitoring 
devices. 
Yes, it would be very good if when you take a 
measurement a signal would remind you that your 
optimal value has been exceeded. Perhaps with an 
asterisk or something similar. Some kind of symbol 
should appear. (M, 64)
Two-way communication with health professionals
Although communication via messages was 
considered effective, sufficient and desirable, it should 
be taken into account that no patient experienced a 
significant deterioration in their medical condition 
or required a medical intervention during the study. 
Had this been the case, patients would have opted for 
a telephone call or a personal visit to the clinic. The 
messages were seen by patients as a supplement to, rather 
than a substitute for, telephone calls and face-to-face 
visits to the doctor's office. They strongly emphasized the 
need to receive feedback on whether the measurements 
have been reviewed. Some patients who had not received 
feedback questioned whether health professionals had 
in fact reviewed the results. At the same time, they also 
expressed an interest in further information about how 
the patient – nurse – doctor triangle worked (whether 
the measurements had also been reviewed by the doctor 
or only by the nurse, or whether they had consulted 
about the feedback). 
It was great because there was a nurse behind it. You 
knew she was going through it because you could see 
when she called up the measurements and she would 
then let you know if there was anything wrong. She 
could tell you in advance, "Listen, you need to do this or 
come in early. For me, that was a plus." (F, 41)
Patients expressed understanding of the workload 
of nurses in outpatient clinics and had not expected 
an immediate feedback regarding the measurements 
submitted.
Impact of telemedicine on patients' health
According to the participants, the use of telemedicine 
led to in changes in their medical treatment (e.g. 
adjustment of therapy, health examinations) and for 
some to an actual improvement in their health status. 
Well, and then I was advised to stop taking pills except 
for the ones for my pulse, but even with those, the dosage 
is lower now, and now after I have stopped taking those 
medications, I feel pretty good. So it was beneficial and 
it felt good that they could now really see what I was 
saying. That my blood pressure is lower at home, that 
it's gone down. (F, 50)
The most significant changes perceived were 
related to psychological effects: in the course of 
using telemedicine, patients had developed a more 
serious concern for their medical condition and felt 
empowered by the feeling that they were successfully 
managing their health and were therefore less anxious 
about it.
I was more disciplined. In other words, I spent more 
time thinking about it. I paid more attention to really 
taking those 10,000 steps a day, going out and spending 
time in the fresh air. And I continue to do so. (F, 64)
Desire to use telemedicine and its accessibility 
Most patients found telemedicine beneficial and 
would recommend it to other people with similar 
health problems, especially people with serious 
illnesses or physical impairments who find it difficult 
251Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
to access the doctor's office. 
And one more thing, let's say for the older ones among 
us – we can still move, which is much better. If someone 
has difficulty getting around or if it's difficult for them to 
get to a clinic or if they do not have a ride, this is a great 
way to just show them from a distance and they can see 
it immediately. (M, 64) 
Patients who considered their physical health to be 
stable felt that daily data submission and additional 
monitoring were unnecessary. Therefore, some 
mentioned that it would have been better for them if 
the telemedical monitoring had lasted longer and the 
measurements had been taken less frequently or only 
occasionally (e.g. every first week of the month). They 
felt that their health status was changing slowly. 
Well, that depends on if you just need it for monitoring 
purposes and you don't have any actual problems, 
then most people would not pay for this service, and I 
probably wouldn't pay for it either, no. Oh, but if there 
are more serious problems, whatever that might be, like 
if you're shaking or about to have a stroke or something 
like that, then it's probably not a question of money any 
more. (M, 55)
Patients' decision to opt for telemedicine is influenced 
not only by their specific medical condition and health 
professionals, but also by the price. They estimate 
that telemedicine would be more accessible if it were 
financed by insurance or integrated into the public 
health system. This would also increase patients' 
trust in telemedicine and reduce concerns about 
the protection of personal data. On the other hand, 
telemedicine marketed by a private company would be 
less trusted. Patients believe that such a service is more 
credible and reliable when provided within the public 
health system. Most patients believe that the primary 
objective of offering market services in telemedicine is 
to make a profit, not to promote well-being. 
You see, it is most legitimate when it is offered within 
the health system. As soon as there are other providers, 
that is not it anymore. It's the same when they call you 
and say, "We are going to measure your cardiovascular 
health". But how can you measure cardiovascular 
health without medical analysis? That means you can 
only trust medicine and no one else. (F, 67)
Patients also mentioned the potential use of 
applications with other (own) monitoring devices, 
which would mean a financial relief for the health 
system.
Influence and support from the environment
Health professionals have the greatest influence 
on patients' willingness to engage in telemedicine. 
Most patients in our sample had made the decision to 
participate in the intervention study independently, 
without consulting their family members or loved 
ones. Patients even expressed doubts about the 
soundness of the advice given by their family members, 
who (like themselves) had no professional or practical 
experience with telemedicine. The same view applies 
to the field of health management. 
You see, the doctor is the first authority, he knows 
the most about medicine, while the family's opinion 
depends on the background of individual members. 
The people in your family may come from completely 
different professional backgrounds. And I have the most 
confidence in medicine. (F, 67)
Although the influence of family members on the 
decision to use telemedicine is relatively low, patients 
appreciate their encouragement and willingness 
to provide technical support in their daily use of 
telemedicine devices.
Concern for own health
Two patterns were prevalent regarding patients' 
attitudes towards their own health: (a) active patients 
who give considerable thought to their health or 
illness, are aware of the importance of regular health 
monitoring for the development of appropriate 
treatment approaches, and strictly follow the doctor's 
instructions, show initiative and strive to achieve 
their target blood pressure and/or glucose levels (e.g. 
by closely monitoring the effects of diet and physical 
activity); (b) less active patients who are less consistent 
and take their measurements spontaneously or when 
they feel unwell.
It is always worth doing something for your health 
/.../ For myself I can say that I'm active, I go for walks, 
I do yoga, I do physical work, I do mental work. In 
short, I have grandchildren around me. And I think I 
am constantly on the move. Device or no device, I know 
that I do these things just for me and that I have to do 
them. (F, 67)
Discussion
With the research question in mind, the authors 
identified seven main themes related to patients' 
experiences with telemedicine. Most themes (n = 5) 
relate to patients' experiences of using telemedicine 
devices and and their inclusion in telemedicine 
treatment, while the remaining two themes relate to 
the role of health professionals in telemedicine use, 
and the desire for its continued use.
Similar to previous research (Vermeulen et al., 
2013; Su et al., 2019), our study identified the 
usability of telemedicine and telemedicine devices 
as a critical aspect of user (patient) experience. The 
mobile application used was found to be easy to use, 
intuitive and user-friendly. The acceptance and use 
of telemedicine and telemedicine devices is most 
significantly influenced by the perceived need for 
their use (which depends mainly on the patient's 
health status) and the instructions given by the 
health professional, who also has the role of partner 
252 Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
and authority in the medical treatment. This is an 
important implication for the treatment of type 2 
diabetes in primary health care, in which many patients 
do not have the ability to perform blood glucose 
measurements themselves. Currently, basic health 
insurance does not yet cover the cost of monitoring 
devices, and when they are purchased by patients 
themselves, systematic awareness of the importance 
of regular measurements is not yet available to all 
(Vermeulen et al., 2013). This was also confirmed by 
the finding that patients with diabetes were extremely 
enthusiastic to participate in the intervention study 
(device testing). 
Despite patients' positive experiences with the use 
of telemedicine and telemedicine devices, it should 
be kept in mind that some patients do not have 
enough motivation or discipline to monitor their 
chronic disease by performing regular measurements 
without external control and encouragement. Such 
encouragement is mostly given by nurses and/
or doctors. Studies conducted in Slovenia have 
already highlighted the role and influence of health 
professionals, but they have mainly focused on the 
process of medical treatment or care (Iljaz, Meglič, 
Petek, Kolšek, & Susič, 2014; Petek & Mlakar, 2016) 
and changes in patient outcomes (Petek & Mlakar, 
2016), without considering the psychological or 
motivational aspects. Our study highlights the 
importance of a partnership relationship and patients' 
trust in the primary healthcare team (i.e., the nurse 
and the physician). Because of patient trust, health 
professionals play a central role not only in the 
decision to use telemedicine, but also in the selection 
of patients who would benefit most from this 
approach. Using health data, an outpatient nurse or 
doctor can also more easily assess whether a patient 
possesses the necessary digital skills and whether they 
are capable to participate in telemedicine without 
undue psychological distress (Joo & Liu, 2021). This 
is an important implication for the potential systemic 
implementation of telemedicine in primary care 
clinics and beyond. 
Based on the results of the study, we can identify 
specific patient groups who are more or less suitable for 
participating in telemedicine at the primary care level. 
Telemedicine is more suitable for patients who feel 
more responsible for their health and take better care of 
their health; for younger patients who are more skilled 
in using new technologies; for 'managed' patients who 
need only occasional follow-up visits; for patients who 
have recently been diagnosed with a chronic disease 
and show a greater potential to learn about their 
health status; for patients who find it more difficult to 
attend medical treatment or who, for various reasons, 
find it more difficult to see a doctor. Telemedicine is 
less suitable for patients who are less health conscious; 
for those who would not be able to use the devices 
independently (family or social implications); for 
those who need additional motivation; for those 
to whom the use of telemedicine would present an 
excessive psychological burden; for those who do 
not have sufficient digital skills or support to use the 
telemedicine devices. As telemedicine provides an 
integrative approach to medical treatment through 
direct two-way communication and the active role of 
patients, its utilisation is beneficial for a wide range 
of patients with various chronic conditions (Simblett 
et al., 2018; Donelan et al., 2019). The establishment 
of an integrated service which would automatically 
transmit patients' entire history of treatment (e.g. 
results of measurements and past therapies) from the 
personal physician to the specialist would also speed 
up treatment at the secondary level (specialist clinics). 
The introduction of telemedicine into the public 
health or social care system would increase patient 
confidence and willingness to engage in telemedicine. 
We have found that patients trust the service more if 
it is part of the health system as opposed to being a 
commercial service. Reservations about the marketing 
of such services are not only tied to cost coverage, but 
are also affected by participants' view that the primary 
objective of market providers is to generate profit rather 
than to improve patients' health (Harris, Alfonso, 
Stewart, & Moore, 2021; Michaud, Hill, Estabrooks, 
& Su, 2021). However, this attitude depends on the 
severity of the patient's medical condition, which 
also affects the willingness to pay for telemedicine 
services (Steigenberger, Glatscher-Thoeni, Siebert, 
& Leiter, 2022). Patients who have a more serious 
attitude towards their health are also more willing 
to pay for such services. Given the widening gap 
between patients in terms of their financial situation, 
it is essential to include such services in the basket of 
health services covered by health insurance (Michaud 
et al., 2021), which is also part of the Diabetes Control 
Action Plan (Zaletel, 2020).
Although research generally demonstrates patients' 
willingness to use telemedicine, matching telemedicine 
with patients' needs in the long term and motivating 
them to use telemedicine devices on a regular basis 
is still a major challenge. As has also been confirmed 
by this study, we can assume that the adoption of this 
technology is only successful provided that individuals 
are willing to continue using the technology after the 
initial usage phase (de Graaf, Ben Allouch, & van Dijk, 
2018). The uptake of telemedicine and telemedicine 
devices seems to be particularly promoted by patients' 
recognition of their broader potential for health 
management and a more efficient access to health 
services, which is dependent on the user's personal 
characteristics such as perceptions of the usefulness 
of telemedicine, certainty about one's health, level 
of personal commitment to treatment, and personal 
initiative (Hibbard & Greene, 2013; Su et al., 2019; 
Joo & Liu, 2021). Patient enthusiasm for using 
telemedicine may also be positively influenced by 
253Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
healthcare teams in outpatient clinics. The results of 
this study confirm that the acceptance of telemedicine 
depends on the positive attitude of patients as well as 
on the positive attitude of doctors and nurses towards 
this approach (Asua, Orruño, Reviriego, & Gagnon, 
2012; Cimperman et al., 2013). With the introduction 
of telemedicine, we can successfully address some 
of the common barriers that negatively influence 
patient engagement in collaborative treatment of 
chronic diseases: asymptomatic nature of diseases, 
side effects of medications, discomfort, and lack of 
knowledge about the disease in question. One of 
the most important aims of primary care clinics is 
health empowerment (Pečelin & Sočan, 2016) so as 
to prevent the development or progression of chronic 
diseases by encouraging patient engagement in disease 
management (Govc Eržen, Vračko, Čuš, & Medved, 
2017).
This study, which is one of the first in Slovenia to 
implement a functioning telemedicine service at 
the primary level of health care, provides important 
starting points for further research. In the future, it 
would be advisable to involve patients in telemedicine 
services for longer periods of time, to collect clinical 
data on their health status, and to monitor certain 
key aspects of their acceptance and effects through 
quantitative methods in a larger sample of participants. 
We also note that most initiatives and studies on the 
introduction of telemedicine in Slovenia have focused 
on the secondary or tertiary level of health care, while 
much less attention has been paid to the primary 
level, which also opens up opportunities for further 
research. The method of recruitment of participants in 
the intervention study and the sampling for the focus 
groups represents a certain limitation of this study. In 
the intervention study, recruitment was conducted in 
a single outpatient unit. Expanding the intervention 
research to include a larger number of outpatient 
units or clinics would result in a larger sample and 
thus a more diverse sample structure. This method of 
sampling (i.e. purposive sampling) does not allow for 
randomised controlled trials to be conducted, which 
would be possible in the case of random sampling.
Conclusion
This study has shown that telemedicine has an overall 
positive impact. This can be seen in the improvement 
of patients' quality of life and health status, health 
empowerment, motivation for disease management 
and an increased sense of safety. Remote access to 
health care and the ability to transmit data remotely 
are the most useful and frequently cited features of 
telemedicine devices, as they allow patients to avoid 
waiting for their medical examinations, reduce the 
frequency of doctor visits and eliminate the ‘white 
coat syndrome'. The results of this study provide a 
solid basis for establishing the procedures for a wider 
adoption of telemedicine at the primary level of health 
care. In future research, the use of telemedicine by 
the chronically ill should be conducted over longer 
periods of time and also include other target groups. 
To evaluate the impact of telemedicine, we recommend 
the use of mixed methods: in addition to qualitative 
research, quantitative monitoring (evaluation of user 
experience via questionnaires and assessment of the 
clinical condition of patients through an analysis of 
the measured values) should also be carried out. 
Slovenian translation/Prevod v slovenščino
Uvod
Kronična nenalezljiva obolenja v Sloveniji povzročijo 
70 % vseh smrti (OECD, 2019), pri čemer smo priča 
naraščanju števila oseb z znano sladkorno boleznijo 
(Eržen, Zaletel, & Nadrag, 2020) in oseb z visokim 
krvnim tlakom (Božič et al., 2020). Digitalne 
tehnologije ponujajo možnost razvoja telemedicinske 
obravnave kronično obolelih pacientov, ki lahko 
bistveno izboljša njihovo zdravstveno obravnavo 
in pozitivno vpliva na splošno kakovost njihovega 
življenja (Gellis et al., 2012; van den Berg, Schumann, 
Kraft, & Hoffmann, 2012; Petrovčič, Peek, & Dolničar, 
2019). Telemedicinska obravnava zajema zdravstveno 
obravnavo na daljavo s pomočjo telemedicinske 
opreme, pri kateri ni fizične prisotnosti pacienta 
ob zdravstvenem delavcu (Snoswell et al., 2020). 
Telemedicinska oprema se nanaša na merilne naprave 
(npr. merilnik krvnega tlaka in/ali krvnega sladkorja) 
in komunikacijske pripomočke (npr. tablica z aplikacijo 
ali mobilna aplikacija na pametnem telefonu) za 
dvosmerno izmenjavo ter prenos podatkov, ki skupaj 
tvorijo celoto in zdravstvenemu osebju omogočajo 
spremljanje in zdravljenje pacientov na daljavo 
(Goodwin, 2010).
Najpogostejše ovire pri sprejemanju telemedicinske 
obravnave pri pacientih so povezane z značilnostmi 
tehnologije in podpornimi storitvami (npr. tehnične 
težave in podpora), postopkom vključenosti v 
telemedicinsko obravnavo (npr. pacienti pozabijo na 
redno uporabo ali se jim ponavljanje zdi monotono 
in dolgočasno), odnosom do tehnologije (npr. strah 
pred tehnologijo, prepričanje, da je telemedicinska 
obravnava nepotrebna) in željo po fizičnem stiku 
pri zdravstveni obravnavi, ki se odraža npr. v 
zaskrbljenosti pacientov, da bodo zaradi uporabe 
telemedicinske opreme izgubili osebni stik z 
zdravstvenim osebjem (Cimperman, Brenčič, Trkman, 
& Stanonik, 2013; Joo & Liu, 2021). Ovire temeljijo na 
značilnostih pacientov, tipu tehnologije in dostopnosti 
podpornih storitev za delovanje telemedicinske 
opreme, dizajnu slednje in njeni uporabnosti, ki se 
odraža v omejeni prilagodljivosti željam in potrebam 
pacientov, pa tudi v netransparentnosti, nenatančnosti 
254 Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
in/ali nezanesljivosti delovanja (Aberer, Hochfellner, 
& Mader, 2021; Joo & Liu, 2021). Ustrezen dizajn je 
pomemben zlasti za starejše paciente z manj razvitimi 
digitalnimi veščinami, ki so bolj zadržani do uporabe 
zdravstvenih aplikacij na mobilnih napravah.
Ovire so pogojene tudi s sistemsko razširjenostjo 
uporabe telemedicinske obravnave in telemedicinske 
opreme v zdravstvu (Joo & Liu, 2021). Pri tem 
Slovenija močno zaostaja v primerjavi z najrazvitejšimi 
članicami EU (European Commission, 2018; 
Oliveira Hashiguchi, 2020), saj pri nas obstaja le 
nekaj pilotnih storitev telemedicinske obravnave in 
z njimi povezanih raziskav (Cimperman et al., 2013; 
Beštek & Brodnik, 2015; Rudel, Slemenik-Pušnik, 
Epšek-Lenart, Balorda, & Lavre, 2016; Cimperman, 
Brenčič, & Trkman, 2016; Janković et al., 2020; 
Kaufman, Rudel, & Rudel, 2020). Prvi celovit opis 
obstoječih rešitev v Sloveniji sta pripravila Rant & 
Rudel (2021), ki sta prepoznala problematiko nizke 
nacionalne razširjenosti teh storitev in njihove 
vključenosti v nacionalni sistem zdravstvene ali 
socialne oskrbe. Obstoječe telemedicinske storitve v 
Sloveniji so osredotočene na terciarno (npr. CEZAR; 
Rudel et al., 2016), sekundarno (npr. T-MED Gluco 
v diabetoloških ambulantah; Kaufman et al., 2020) 
in primarno raven zdravstvenega varstva (npr. 
SOSTOP in E-Zdravje Telekom; Rudel et al., 2016), 
kamor uvrščamo tudi ambulante družinske medicine 
(Pečelin & Sočan, 2016). Raziskave ugotavljajo 
pozitivne učinke telemedicinske obravnave z vidika 
izboljšanja klinične slike pacientov (Aberer et al., 
2021), finančnih prednosti (Snoswell et al., 2020) in 
pozitivnih psiholoških učinkov na uporabnika (Gellis 
et al., 2012; van den Berg et al., 2012). Raziskave v 
Sloveniji se na primarni ravni zdravstvenega varstva 
osredotočajo na zdravstveno oskrbo in spremembe 
v zdravstvenem stanju (Petek & Mlakar, 2016) ter 
na promocijo zdravja (Janković et al., 2020), manjka 
pa celovita evalvacija telemedicinske obravnave, pri 
čemer je uporabniški vidik eden ključnih.
Namen in cilji
Namen raziskave je bil poglobljeno ovrednotiti 
izkušnjo pacientov z diagnozo sladkorne bolezni 
tipa 2 in/ali visokega krvnega tlaka, ki so vodeni 
v ambulanti družinske medicine (primarna raven 
zdravstvenega varstva), s telemedicinsko obravnavo 
in uporabo telemedicinske opreme. V raziskavi smo 
postavili naslednje raziskovalno vprašanje: Kakšna je 
izkušnja pacientov z uporabo telemedicinske opreme 
in vključenostjo v telemedicinsko obravnavo? 
Metode
Uporabili smo kvalitativni raziskovalni pristop z 
metodo fokusnih skupin. Ta nam je omogočil celovit 
in poglobljen vpogled v dejavnike, ki sooblikujejo 
izkušnjo s telemedicinsko obravnavo pri pacientih s 
kroničnimi boleznimi na primarni ravni zdravstvenega 
varstva v Sloveniji. Gre za pogosto uporabljeno 
metodo zbiranja informacij o mnenju pri uporabnikih 
zdravstvenih storitev in pacientih s kroničnimi 
boleznimi (Lehoux, Poland, & Daudelin, 2006). Pri 
tem je v ospredju interakcija med udeleženci (Polit & 
Beck, 2014), ki v skupinskih pogovorih pogosteje delijo 
občutljive in osebne podatke ter mnenja, še posebej, 
ko ima skupina neko skupno značilnost – v našem 
vzorcu izkušnjo kronične bolezni in sodelovanje v 
intervencijski raziskavi (Guest, Namey, Taylor, Eley, & 
McKenna, 2017).
Opis instrumenta
Pripravljen je bil vodič za fokusne skupine, ki je 
osnova za vodenje skupinskega pogovora. Teme 
vodiča izhajajo iz obstoječih znanstvenih objav in so 
bile nadgrajene na podlagi rezultatov kvantitativnega 
dela intervencijske raziskave (Hvalič-Touzery, 
Dolničar, Prevodnik, Škafar, & Petrovčič, 2019). 
Vodič je bil razdeljen na sedem tematskih sklopov, 
v katerih smo povprašali po uporabniški izkušnji in 
pričakovanjih, izkušnji s telemedicinsko obravnavo in 
telemedicinsko opremo, učinkih uporabe na vodenje 
kronične bolezni ter želji po nadaljnji uporabi. Poleg 
osrednjih izhodišč smo za moderatorja pripravili 
podvprašanja za spodbujanje razmislekov in odzivov 
sodelujočih. Smernice in vodič za izvedbo fokusnih 
skupin so dostopni pri korespondenčnem avtorju 
članka, na tem mestu pa navajamo nekaj primerov. 
Izhodiščno tematsko vprašanje je bilo: Če pomislite 
na obdobje uporabe telemedicinske opreme, ste opazili 
kakšne spremembe v vašem življenju, morda v tem, na 
kakšen način razmišljate o svojem življenju in bolezni? 
Imate kakšno posebno izkušnjo, ki bi jo lahko delili z 
nami? Primeri podvprašanj: Vam je telemedicinska 
oprema pomagala? Prosimo, opišite, kako. Ali vas je 
navedeno razbremenilo? Vam je uporaba telemedicinske 
opreme predstavljala dodatno breme, stres? Kako ste to 
dojemali sami? Kako pa vaši najbližji (družine)? So tudi 
oni zaznali kakšne spremembe? Če so jih, katere? 
Opis vzorca
K sodelovanju v raziskavi so bili povabljeni 103 
pacienti, ki so v letu 2019 sodelovali v intervencijski 
raziskavi (Hvalič-Touzery et al., 2019). Gre za 
namenski vzorec. V fokusnih skupinah je sodelovalo 
19 pacientov s sladkorno boleznijo tipa 2 in/ali 
visokim krvnim tlakom, kar predstavlja skoraj petino 
vseh udeležencev intervencijske raziskave. Njihova 
povprečna starost je 59,2 leta (starostni razpon 42–
69 let). Devet pacientov je imelo srednjo strokovno/
tehniško izobrazbo, štirje poklicno ali manj in štirje 
višjo ali visoko izobrazbo. Devet pacientov je bilo 
upokojenih, devet delovno aktivnih, en pacient je 
255Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
bil brezposeln. Skupno je sodelovalo devet moških 
in deset žensk. Dvanajst pacientov je imelo visok 
krvni tlak, eden sladkorno bolezen tipa 2, šest pa obe 
omenjeni kronični bolezni.
Opis poteka raziskave in obdelave podatkov
Izvedba fokusnih skupin je sledila prvi intervencijski 
raziskavi v Sloveniji, ki je telemedicinsko obravnavo 
implementirala za daljše časovno obdobje in v testiranje 
vključila paciente s kroničnimi boleznimi izbranega 
zdravstvenega doma v Sloveniji. Pacienti so tako imeli 
celovito izkušnjo s sodelovanjem v telemedicinski 
obravnavi, saj so v okviru intervencijske raziskave tri 
mesece uporabljali merilne naprave (merilnik krvnega 
tlaka in/ali krvnega sladkorja) in komunikacijske 
pripomočke (tablica z aplikacijo ali mobilna aplikacija 
na pametnem telefonu) za prenos podatkov in 
komunikacijo z zdravstvenim osebjem. Testirano 
telemedicinsko rešitev je razvil Telekom Slovenije 
(Hvalič-Touzery et al., 2019). Pacienti so bili izbrani 
s strani zdravstvenega osebja in so opremo uporabljali 
v skladu s protokoli, določenimi za intervencijsko 
raziskavo, ki so jih nadzorovale medicinske sestre. 
V juliju 2020 smo po pridobljenem soglasju Komisije 
za Etiko v raziskovanju Fakultete za družbene vede 
Univerze v Ljubljani izvedli štiri fokusne skupine. 
Pri določanju števila udeležencev smo sledili vodilu, 
da so za teme, ki so udeležencem blizu in imajo o 
njih izdelano mnenje, primernejše manjše skupine 
(Nyumba, Wilson, Derrick, & Mukherjee, 2017), 
zato so fokusne skupine vključevale od tri do sedem 
pacientov. Skupinske pogovore, ki so v povprečju 
trajali 60 minut, sta izvedla moderator in asistent. 
Vsi pogovori so bili zvočno posneti in dobesedno 
prepisani (84 strani), pri čemer so bili vsi pridobljeni 
podatki anonimizirani. 
Zapisane pogovore smo analizirali z induktivno 
obliko tematske analize (Braun & Clarke, 2012) s 
programskim orodjem Atlas.ti (Thomas Muhr – 
Atlas.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, 
Nemčija). Dve raziskovalki sta ob posvetovanju 
s širšo raziskovalno skupino (trije raziskovalci) 
poiskali vzorce (teme), ki izvirajo neposredno iz 
zbranih podatkov. Kodirna knjiga je bila zasnovana 
na štirih ravneh: koda – dejavnik – podtema – tema, 
pri čemer je bilo na osnovi 99 različnih kod (skupna 
frekvenca kod v vseh prepisih je 809) identificiranih 
sedem tem in deset podtem. Frekvence predstavljajo 
pogostnost odzivov udeležencev fokusnih skupin, 
ne pa tudi pomembnosti posamezne teme, zato niso 
interpretirane ločeno.
Rezultati
S pomočjo induktivne tematske analize smo 
identificirali sedem tem in deset podtem (Slika 1). 
Prednosti in slabosti telemedicinske obravnave
Najpogosteje izpostavljeni prednosti uporabe 
telemedicinske obravnave med pacienti sta možnost 
samokontrole krvnega tlaka oziroma krvnega 
sladkorja in možnost spremljanja rezultatov meritev 
s strani zdravstvenega osebja. Pacienti so slednje 
izpostavili kot motivacijo za redno izvajanje meritev 
in spremljanje svojega zdravstvenega stanja, ki je sicer 
nimajo. 
Jaz sem se bolj v pogon spravila, lažje, no. Mi je bila to 
ena motivacija. (Ž, 64) 
Povedali so, da so meritve po zaključku raziskave 
izvajali redkeje, saj niso imeli motivacije. Pacienti 
so poročali tudi o občutku varnosti ob zavedanju, 
da zdravstveno osebje spremlja rezultate meritev. 
Izpostavili so tudi preobremenjenost s skrbjo za 
zdravstveno stanje (strah zaradi rezultatov merjenja, 
obremenjenost z zdravjem, občutek nadzorovanosti s 
strani zdravstvenega osebja). 
Ja, tisto občasno no, ne tako pogosto in ne tako redno 
kot takrat, ko sem imela to napravo. Ker to te tudi malo 
prisili, kar pa ni nič narobe. Saj s tem zgubiš tistih par 
minut, pa je samo, aaa, ni slabo, ni slabo, ker smo ljudje 
pač tako naštimani, da rabiš nekaj vzpodbude. (Ž, 59) 
Pomembna prednost telemedicinske obravnave je 
po mnenju pacientov razpolaganje z rezultati meritev 
v daljšem časovnem obdobju, ki vodi v natančnejšo 
identifikacijo trendov (izognejo se učinku »bele halje« 
in se učijo o vplivu vsakdanjih navad na zdravstveno 
stanje – predvsem vplivu telesne dejavnosti in prehrane 
na raven krvnega sladkorja) in lahko predstavlja 
osnovo za spremembo zdravljenja (npr. sprememba/
uvedba terapije, nova diagnoza, napotitev na 
specialistični pregled). Pogostnost opravljanja meritev 
večinoma ni prispevala k občutku obremenjenosti 
med pacienti, saj so za večino meritve postale del 
rutine. Pacienti s sladkorno boleznijo so meritve 
opravljali pogosteje. Nekateri so se na začetku počutili 
tudi bolj obremenjene – zlasti tisti, ki pred vključitvijo 
v raziskavo opravljanja rednih meritev niso bili vajeni. 
Najkoristnejša funkcionalnost telemedicinske 
opreme je po mnenju pacientov posredovanje 
podatkov na daljavo, kar omogoča, da se izognejo 
čakanju na pregled in učinku »bele halje«. 
Komunikacijo s sporočili v mobilni aplikaciji pacienti 
ocenjujejo kot ustrezno in časovno učinkovito. 
Komunikacija z uporabo mobilnih naprav je praktična 
in hitrejša kot osebni obisk ambulante. Tega sicer ne 
nadomešča, vendar ga dobro dopolnjuje. Po njihovi 
oceni se zdravstveno osebje na sporočila bolj odziva 
kot na klice.
Ja, lažje so rešitev našli, ne ... če je recimo bilo kaj 
narobe, ne ... takoj si imel pomoč, ne. To pa, da se 
naročiš pa čakaš dva, tri dni, recimo, da ni gužve, je tut 
nam v prid, ne. Pa zdravniki mislim, da bi imeli malo 
več časa za pogovor, ne. (Ž, 68)
256 Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
Enostavnost uporabe telemedicinske opreme
Pacienti so mobilno aplikacijo za vnos meritev 
opisali kot enostavno in razumljivo: zasnovana je 
na uporabniku prijazen način; pri uporabi ga vodi 
in usmerja uporabniški vmesnik; za njeno uporabo 
zadostujejo osnovne veščine, potrebne za uporabo 
pametnih telefonov. 
Se mi zdi, da je tut tablica oziroma telefon, program 
tako enostavno narejen, da nimaš kej zgrešit. Te opozori: 
aha, še to in to moraš naredit, tukaj pošlji. Potem piše: 
aha, končano, naslednjič ... Tako da, mislim, da tudi 
vsak, ki ni navajen tablice al pa telefona, to zelo hitro 
osvoji. Ker ni kompliciran sistem, ne. (Ž, 41)
Veščine so večinoma lahko usvojili sami ali s pomočjo 
bližnjih. Zunanja pomoč medicinskega ali tehničnega 
osebja je bila potrebna le pri tehničnih težavah (npr. 
nedelujoče geslo za odklepanje mobilne aplikacije). 
Ker so bile tovrstne težave zelo redke, niso vplivale na 
nižje zaupanje pacientov v lastne digitalne veščine ali 
zmanjšale zanimanja za telemedicinsko obravnavo. 
Nasprotno, nekaj pacientov je predlagalo dodatne 
funkcionalne in vmesniške nadgradnje uporabljene 
opreme: (1) opozorila, kdaj opraviti meritve; (2) 
personalizirane meje sprejemljivih vrednosti meritev 
in opozorila, ko so te meje presežene; (3) prenos meritev 
na računalnik; (4) integracijo drugih pametnih naprav 
(npr. pametna ura) ter (5) povezljivost aplikacije z 
drugimi merilnimi napravami in ne zgolj z merilniki, 
ki so jih uporabljali v intervencijski raziskavi. Pacienti 
Izkušnje 
pacientov s 
telemedicinsko 
obravnavo
Enostavnost uporabe 
telemedicinske opreme:
– pozitivne tehnične 
izkušnje
– možnosti za izboljšavo
Komunikacija z 
zdravstvenim osebjem
Skrb za lastno zdravje
Vliv in opora okolja:
– vpliv zdravstvenega 
osebja
– vpliv socialnega 
omrežja pacienta
Želja po uporabi in 
dostopnost 
telemedicinske 
obravnave:
– v sprejemanje 
telemedicinske obravnave
– telemedicinska 
obravnava kot del 
javnega zdravstvenega 
sistema
Učinki telemedicinske 
obravnave na 
zdravstveno stanje 
pacientov: 
– zdravstveni učinki
– psihološki učinki
Prednosti in slabosti 
telemedicinske 
obravnave:
– psihološki vidik
– tehnični vidik
Slika 1: Teme in podteme
257Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
so uporabljene merilne naprave ocenili kot primerljive 
oziroma boljše od svojih. 
Ja, zelo dobro bi bilo, če bi bilo zraven recimo, 
ko si izmeriš, ko gre čez tisto mero, ko je zate že mal 
vprašljiva, da ti da nek signal. Al zvezdico al, al, ne vem 
kaj. Nekaj bi ti moglo pokazat. (M, 64)
Komunikacija z zdravstvenim osebjem
Čeprav je komunikacija z uporabo sporočil ocenjena 
kot učinkovita, zadostna in zaželena, je treba upoštevati, 
da se med raziskavo noben pacient ni srečal z bistveno 
poslabšanim zdravstvenim stanjem ali zdravstveno 
intervencijo. V tem primeru bi se pacienti odločili za 
telefonski klic ali osebni obisk v ambulanti družinske 
medicine. Sporočila so pacienti dojeli kot dopolnilo in 
ne nadomestilo telefonskih stikov in osebnih obiskov v 
ordinaciji. Močno si želijo povratne informacije o tem, 
ali so bile meritve pregledane, pri čemer so nekateri, 
ki povratne informacije niso prejeli, izrazili dvom o 
resničnosti pregledovanja rezultatov. Hkrati so izrazili 
tudi zanimanje za dodatne informacije glede delovanja 
trikotnika pacient – medicinska sestra – zdravnik (ali 
so bile meritve posredovane v vpogled tudi zdravniku 
ali jih je pregledala le medicinska sestra, ali sta se o 
povratni informaciji posvetovala …). 
Dejansko je fajn, ker je zadaj stala sestra. Vedel si, 
da je ona pregledovala, ker se je, tako kot sem rekla, 
videlo, kdaj je ona pogledala te meritve, in ti je potem 
tut sporočila, če karkoli ni v redu. Ti je lahko predhodno 
povedala: »Lej, to pa to moraš naredit al pa tok prej se 
oglasi, ne. To je bil po eni strani meni plus.« (Ž, 41)
Pacienti so sicer izrazili razumevanje za obremenjenost 
medicinskih sester v ambulantah družinske medicine 
in niso pričakovali takojšnjega odziva na posredovane 
meritve.
Učinki telemedicinske obravnave na zdravstveno 
stanje pacientov
Po poročanju pacientov so rezultati vključenosti 
v telemedicinsko obravnavo opazni v spremembah 
pri njihovi zdravstveni obravnavi (npr. prilagoditev 
terapije, dodatni pregledi), pri nekaterih pa tudi v 
dejanskem izboljšanju zdravstvenega stanja. 
No in pol smo, zdej smo stran dali tablete, ene pa 
samo še za pulz, ampak tud ta nizek odmerek, in zdej 
po teh, ukinitvi, se prav čist dobro počutim. Tako da je 
to prav prišlo in čist mi je bilo fajn, da sem rekla, no lej, 
zdej pa res vidijo, da je tako, ne. Da imam jaz doma 
nizek pritisk, da je dol šel, ne. (Ž, 50)
Največje spremembe so bile zaznane v psihološkem 
smislu: pacienti so v obdobju trajanja vključenosti 
v telemedicinsko obravnavo do skrbi za svoje 
zdravstveno stanje razvili resnejši odnos in se zaradi 
občutka, da uspešno upravljajo s svojim zdravjem, 
počutili opolnomočene in manj zaskrbljene.
Jaz sem bila bolj disciplinirana. Se pravi, da sem več 
razmišljala o tem, ne. Bolj sem skrbela za to, da sem 
naredila tistih 10.000 korakov vsak dan, ane, da sem 
šla hodit, da sem bila na zraku. To sem bolj, skrbim tud 
zdej. (Ž, 64)
Želja po uporabi in dostopnost telemedicinske 
obravnave
Večina pacientov je telemedicinsko obravnavo 
ocenila kot koristno zanje in priporočljivo za druge 
osebe s podobnimi zdravstvenimi težavami, še 
posebej za osebe s slabšim zdravstvenim stanjem in 
gibalno ovirane posameznike z omejenimi možnostmi 
dostopa do zdravnika. 
Pa še nekaj, recimo za starejše od nas – mi smo še 
kolker tok gibljiv, ne, je, to je velik boljše, ne. Tam recimo 
nekdo, ki je težko gibljiv al pa težko pride v zdravstveni 
dom, nima tega, nima unga, nima prevoza, pa ne vem 
kaj še vse, je to super, samo če zdej oni, če imajo ta 
program, da jim od daleč pokaže, da jim ni treba iskat, 
da vid. (M, 64) 
Pacientom, ki so dojemali svoje zdravstveno stanje 
kot stabilno, se vsakodnevno posredovanje podatkov 
in dodatno spremljanje nista zdela potrebna. Zato 
so nekateri omenjali, da bi jim bolj ustrezalo, če bi 
telemedicinska obravnava trajala dlje časa in bi bile 
meritve manj pogoste oziroma občasne (npr. merjenje 
vsak prvi teden v mesecu). Zdi se jim namreč, da se 
njihovo zdravstveno stanje spreminja počasi. 
To je zdej odvisno, če si samo takole v ... kako bi rekel, 
v kontrolne namene, da nimaš nobenih problemov, pol 
si jih večina pomoje ne bi odločila, al pa tut zase bi 
lahko rekel, da najbrž ne bi plačeval, ne. Aa, če pa pride 
bolj do resnih težav, ne vem ... Kakšnih sicer, ampak da 
se to izpostavi, da se včasih, ne vem, treseš al pa da si 
na meji kakšne kapi al kej tazga, pol pa verjetno ni več 
vprašanje denarja. (M, 55)
Na odločitev pacienta za telemedicinsko 
obravnavo poleg zdravstvenega osebja in njegovega 
zdravstvenega stanja vpliva tudi cena. Ocenjujejo, 
da bi bila telemedicinska obravnava dostopnejša, 
če bi bila financirana s strani zavarovalnice oziroma 
integrirana v javni zdravstveni sistem. Pacienti bi tako 
imeli tudi večje zaupanje v telemedicinsko obravnavo 
in manj skrbi glede varovanja osebnih podatkov. 
Telemedicinska obravnava, ki bi jo tržilo zasebno 
podjetje, bi uživala nižje zaupanje, saj so prepričani, 
da je takšna storitev v okviru javnega zdravstvenega 
sistema bolj verodostojna in zanesljiva. Med pacienti 
prevladuje mnenje, da je primarni cilj ponujanja 
tržnih storitev na področju telemedicinske obravnave 
dobiček in ne blaginja pacienta. 
Lejte, verodostojno je najbolj, če je prek zdravstvenega. 
Čim so drugi, recimo, nisi več to. To je isto recimo, ko 
te pokličejo, pa pravijo, ti bomo zmerili ne vem koga 
vse, ožilje pa to. Ja kako boš meril ožilje brez analiz 
pa brez skrbi, ne. To pomeni, da zaupaš samo tam 
zdravstvenemu nivoju, onemu drugemu pa ne. (Ž, 67)
258 Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
Pacienti so omenjali tudi potencialno uporabo 
aplikacij z drugimi (lastnimi) merilnimi napravami, 
s čimer bi finančno razbremenili zdravstveni sistem.
Vpliv in opora okolja
Največji vpliv na pripravljenost pacientov za 
vključitev v telemedicinsko obravnavo ima zdravstveno 
osebje. Večina pacientov je odločitev za sodelovanje 
v intervencijski raziskavi sprejela samostojno in se o 
tem ni posvetovala z družinskimi člani ali bližnjimi. 
Pacienti so izrazili celo dvom glede tehtnosti nasvetov 
svojcev, ki so (podobno kot oni sami) brez strokovnih 
in praktičnih izkušenj s telemedicinsko obravnavo. To 
prepričanje tudi sicer velja za področje upravljanja z 
zdravjem. 
Lejte, prvo je zdravnik avtoriteta, on o zdravstvu 
največ ve, domači krog zavisi, kakšen imaš okoli sebe. 
Maš lahko čist drug krog. In sigurno je to, da ti zdravstvo 
reče največ, ne. (Ž, 67)
Kljub temu da je vpliv družinskih članov na odločitev 
za vključitev v telemedicinsko obravnavo razmeroma 
majhen, pa pacienti kot pomembno ocenjujejo njihovo 
spodbudo in pripravljenost nudenja tehnične podpore 
pri vsakdanji uporabi telemedicinske opreme.
Skrb za lastno zdravje
Prevladujeta dva vzorca odnosa pacientov do 
lastnega zdravja: (a) dejavni pacienti, ki imajo 
do svojega zdravja oziroma bolezni resen odnos, 
zavedajo se pomembnosti izvajanja rednih meritev 
za oblikovanje ustreznega pristopa k zdravljenju 
in dosledno upoštevajo navodila zdravnikov, so 
samoiniciativni in si prizadevajo za doseganje ciljnih 
vrednosti krvnega tlaka in/ali sladkorja (npr. s 
podrobnim spremljanjem vpliva prehrane in fizične 
dejavnosti na ravni parametrov); (b) manj dejavni 
pacienti, ki so pri meritvah manj dosledni in jih 
opravljajo »po občutku« oziroma ob slabem počutju.
Vedno je vredno narest nekaj, kar je v povezavi z 
zdravjem /.../ Ker jaz tako, za sebe, lahko rečem, jaz sem 
aktivna, hodim, na jogo hodim, hodim aktivno, fizično 
delam, miselno delam. Skratka, okoli sebe imam vnuke. 
In mislim, da sem skoz v pogonu. Še tako da ... Če bi bila 
aparatura al pa ne, vem, da pač te stvari delam zase in 
jih moram delat. (Ž, 67)
Diskusija
Ob upoštevanju raziskovalnega vprašanja so avtorji 
oblikovali sedem glavnih tem, ki naslavljajo izkušnjo 
pacientov. Največ tem (n = 5) se nanaša na izkušnjo 
pacientov z vidika uporabe telemedicinske opreme 
in vključenosti v telemedicinsko obravnavo, po dve 
temi pa sta vezani na vlogo zdravstvenih delavcev pri 
sprejemanju telemedicinske obravnave in na željo po 
njeni nadaljnji uporabi.
Podobno kot v preteklih raziskavah (Vermeulen et 
al., 2013; Su et al., 2019) je bila tudi v tej uporabnost 
telemedicinske opreme in obravnave prepoznana 
kot kritični vidik izkušnje uporabnikov (pacientov) s 
kroničnimi boleznimi. Uporabljena mobilna aplikacija 
je bila ocenjena kot enostavna za uporabo, intuitivna 
in uporabnikom prijazna. Na prisvojitev in uporabo 
telemedicinske opreme in telemedicinske obravnave 
med pacienti najbolj vplivajo zaznana potreba po 
uporabi (odvisna predvsem od zdravstvenega stanja 
pacienta) in navodila zdravstvenega osebja, ki ima 
hkrati vlogo partnerja in avtoritete v zdravstveni 
obravnavi. To predstavlja pomembno implikacijo 
za pristop k zdravljenju sladkorne bolezni tipa 2 
na primarni ravni zdravstvenega varstva, kjer so 
večinoma vodeni tisti pacienti, ki pogosto nimajo 
možnosti izvajanja meritev krvnega sladkorja. Za 
zdaj predpis pripomočkov v breme osnovnega 
zdravstvenega zavarovanja še ni možen, če pa si 
jih kupijo sami, sistematično osveščanje o pomenu 
meritev še ni na voljo vsem (Vermeulen et al., 2013). 
To potrjuje tudi ugotovitev, da so bili sodelovanju v 
intervencijski raziskavi (testiranju opreme) izjemno 
naklonjeni pacienti s sladkorno boleznijo. 
Kljub pozitivni izkušnji z uporabo telemedicinske 
opreme in telemedicinsko obravnavo se je treba 
zavedati, da nekateri pacienti sami ne premorejo 
zadostne motivacije ali discipline, da bi kronično 
bolezen z rednimi meritvami spremljali tudi brez 
zunanje kontrole in spodbude. Slednjo najpogosteje 
predstavljajo medicinske sestre in/ali zdravnik. 
Nekatere raziskave v Sloveniji so že izpostavile vlogo in 
vpliv zdravstvenega osebja, vendar so se osredotočile 
na proces zdravstvene obravnave oziroma oskrbe (Iljaz, 
Meglič, Petek, Kolšek, & Susič, 2014; Petek & Mlakar, 
2016) in spremembe v zdravstvenem stanju (Petek 
& Mlakar, 2016), manjkal pa je psihološki oziroma 
motivacijski vidik. V naši raziskavi ugotavljamo 
pomen partnerskega odnosa in zaupanja pacienta v tim 
ambulante družinske medicine (tj. medicinske sestre 
in zdravnika). Zaradi zaupanja pacientov zavzema 
zdravstveno osebje osrednjo vlogo ne le pri odločitvi 
za izvajanje telemedicinske obravnave, pač pa tudi pri 
izboru pacientov, ki bi imeli od slednje največjo korist 
oziroma bi jim takšna obravnava ustrezala. Medicinska 
sestra oziroma osebni zdravnik v ambulanti družinske 
medicine namreč ob zdravstvenih informacijah lažje 
oceni tudi to, ali ima pacient potrebne digitalne 
veščine in ali je sposoben vključitve v telemedicinsko 
obravnavo brez večjih psihičnih obremenitev (Joo & 
Liu, 2021). To je pomembno sporočilo za morebitno 
sistemsko implementacijo telemedicinske obravnave v 
ambulante družinske medicine in širše. 
Na osnovi izsledkov raziskave lahko identificiramo 
skupine pacientov, ki so za vključitev v telemedicinsko 
obravnavo na primarni ravni zdravstvenega varstva 
bolj oziroma manj primerne. Primernejši so pacienti, 
ki čutijo večjo odgovornost za svoje zdravje in bolj 
259Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
skrbijo zanj; mlajši in vešči uporabe novih tehnologij; 
»urejeni« pacienti, ki potrebujejo občasne kontrole; 
tisti, ki so nedavno prejeli diagnozo kronične bolezni in 
imajo večji potencial za učenje o svojem zdravstvenem 
stanju; tisti, ki se težje udeležijo zdravstvene obravnave 
oziroma iz različnih razlogov težje obiščejo zdravnika. 
Telemedicinska obravnava je manj primerna za 
paciente, ki so manj ozaveščeni glede svojega zdravja; 
se za uporabo ne bi odločili samostojno (vpliv družine 
ali socialnega okolja); potrebujejo dodatno motivacijo; 
bi jim uporaba telemedicinske obravnave predstavljala 
preveliko psihično obremenitev; nimajo digitalnih 
veščin ali zadostne podpore za uporabo telemedicinske 
opreme. Vključevanje v telemedicinsko obravnavo 
je smiselno za širok krog pacientov tudi pri drugih 
kroničnih boleznih, saj telemedicinska obravnava 
predpostavlja vključujoč pristop k zdravstveni 
obravnavi z neposredno dvosmerno komunikacijo in 
dejavno vlogo pacientov (Simblett et al., 2018; Donelan 
et al., 2019). Z vzpostavitvijo integrirane storitve, s 
katero bi celotno telemedicinsko obravnavo pacienta 
(npr. rezultate meritev in pretekle terapije) samodejno 
prenesli od osebnega zdravnika do specialista, pa bi 
bila olajšana implementacija tudi na sekundarni ravni 
(specialistične ambulante). 
Zaupanje in s tem pripravljenost za sodelovanje 
v telemedicinski obravnavi bi bila višja pri njeni 
implementaciji v javni sistem zdravstvene ali 
socialne oskrbe. Ugotovili smo, da pacienti storitvi 
bolj zaupajo, če je ta del zdravstvenega sistema in ne 
gre za tržno storitev. Zadržki do trženja tovrstnih 
storitev niso vezani le na kritje stroškov, temveč 
nanje vpliva tudi mnenje sodelujočih, da je primarni 
cilj tržnih ponudnikov želja po dobičku in ne skrb 
za zdravje pacientov (Harris, Alfonso, Stewart, & 
Moore, 2021; Michaud, Hill, Estabrooks, & Su, 2021). 
Obenem je to stališče pogojeno z resnostjo njihovega 
zdravstvenega stanja, ki vpliva tudi na pripravljenost 
plačila telemedicinske obravnave (Steigenberger, 
Glatscher-Thoeni, Siebert, & Leiter, 2022). Plačilu so 
bolj naklonjeni pacienti, ki skrbi za zdravje pripisujejo 
večji pomen. Zaradi povečanja razkoraka med 
pacienti glede na njihov ekonomski položaj je ključno, 
da se tovrstne storitve vključi v košarico zdravstvenih 
storitev, ki jih krije zdravstvena zavarovalnica 
(Michaud et al., 2021), kar je tudi del akcijskega načrta 
za obvladovanje sladkorne bolezni (Zaletel, 2020).
Kljub temu da raziskave splošno kažejo pripravljenost 
pacientov na vključenost v telemedicinsko obravnavo, 
velik izziv predstavljata skrb za dolgoročno skladnost 
telemedicinske obravnave s potrebami pacientov in 
njihova motivacija za redno uporabo telemedicinske 
opreme. Le če so posamezniki po začetnem 
obdobju uporabe pripravljeni še naprej uporabljati 
tehnologijo, lahko domnevamo, da je bila prisvojitev 
te tehnologije uspešna (de Graaf, Ben Allouch, & 
van Dijk, 2018), kar je potrdila tudi ta raziskava. 
Zdi se, da v kontekstu telemedicinske obravnave in 
opreme prisvojitev spodbujajo predvsem pacientova 
zaznava širših možnosti oziroma potenciala za 
upravljanje z lastnim zdravjem in učinkovitejšega 
dostopa do zdravstvenih storitev, ki so pogojene z 
njegovimi osebnimi značilnostmi, kot so dojemanje 
uporabnosti telemedicinske opreme, pomirjenost glede 
zdravstvenega stanja, zavzetost za zdravljenje in lastno 
aktivacijo (Hibbard & Greene, 2013; Su et al., 2019; 
Joo & Liu, 2021). Na povečanje zavzetosti pacientov za 
uporabo telemedicinske obravnave lahko vplivajo tudi 
zdravstveni timi v ambulantah. Predstavljeni rezultati 
so potrdili pomen pacientove zaznave pozitivnega 
odnosa in dojemanja telemedicinske obravnave 
med zdravniki in medicinskimi sestrami, kar vpliva 
na njeno sprejemanje (Asua, Orruño, Reviriego, & 
Gagnon, 2012; Cimperman et al., 2013). Z vpeljavo 
telemedicinske obravnave lahko uspešno naslovimo 
tudi nekatere splošne ovire, ki zmanjšujejo zavzetost 
pacientov za sodelovanje pri zdravljenju kroničnih 
bolezni: asimptomatičnost bolezni, nezaželeni učinki 
zdravil in slabo počutje ter pomanjkljivo ozaveščanje 
o bolezni. Prav opolnomočenje na področju 
zdravja predstavlja pomembno dejavnost ambulant 
družinske medicine (Pečelin & Sočan, 2016), katerih 
cilj je preprečevanje razvoja oziroma napredovanja 
kroničnih bolezni in s tem tudi povečanje pacientove 
zavzetosti za obvladovanje bolezni (Govc Eržen, 
Vračko, Čuš, & Medved, 2017).
Raziskava, ki je kot ena izmed prvih v Sloveniji 
implementirala delujočo telemedicinsko storitev 
na primarno raven zdravstvenega varstva, postavlja 
pomembna izhodišča za nadaljnje raziskave. V 
prihodnje bi bilo paciente smiselno vključiti v 
tovrstno storitev za daljše časovno obdobje, pridobiti 
tudi klinične podatke o njihovem zdravstvenem stanju 
in v primeru večjega vzorca udeležencev spremljati 
nekatere ključne vidike sprejemanja in učinkov s 
kvantitativnimi metodami. Prav tako opažamo, da 
je večina iniciativ in raziskav, ki si prizadevajo za 
vzpostavitev telemedicinske obravnave v Sloveniji, 
osredotočenih na sekundarno ali terciarno raven 
zdravstvenega varstva, precej manj pozornosti pa je 
namenjene primarni ravni, ki tako ponuja priložnost 
za nadaljnje raziskovanje. Ne nazadnje pa omejitev 
raziskave predstavlja način rekrutacije sodelujočih 
v intervencijski študiji in vzorčenje za fokusne 
skupine. V okviru intervencijske raziskave je bila 
rekrutacija namreč izvedena v enem zdravstvenem 
domu. Z razširitvijo intervencijske raziskave, ki 
bi potekala v večjem številu zdravstvenih domov 
oziroma bi vključevala več ambulant družinske 
medicine, bi zagotovili večji vzorčni okvir in s tem bolj 
raznoliko strukturo vzorca. Izvedeni način vzorčenja 
(tj. namensko vzorčenje) ne omogoča izvedbe 
randomiziranih kontroliranih kliničnih študij (ang. 
Randomized Controlled Trials), ki bi bile mogoče v 
primeru slučajnega vzorca.
260 Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
Zaključek
Z raziskavo ugotavljamo pozitivne učinke 
telemedicinske obravnave, ki se kažejo v boljši 
kakovosti življenja pacientov, izboljšanju njihovega 
zdravja, opolnomočenju, večji motivaciji za upravljanje 
z boleznijo in povečanem občutku varnosti. Dostop 
do zdravstvene oskrbe na daljavo in možnost 
posredovanja podatkov na daljavo sta najuporabnejši 
in najpogosteje izpostavljeni funkcionalnosti 
telemedicinske opreme, saj pacientom omogočata, da 
se izognejo čakanju na pregled, manj pogoste obiske 
zdravnika in izničenje učinka »bele halje«. Ugotovitve 
raziskave so ustrezna osnova za oblikovanje postopkov 
širše implementacije telemedicinske obravnave na 
primarno raven zdravstvenega varstva. V prihodnjih 
raziskavah bi veljalo uporabo telemedicinske 
obravnave s strani kroničnih pacientov spremljati 
dlje časa in vključiti tudi druge ciljne skupine. Za 
oceno učinka telemedicinske obravnave priporočamo 
uporabo kombiniranih metod: poleg kvalitativnega 
tudi kvantitativno spremljanje (ocena uporabniške 
izkušnje z anketnimi vprašalniki in ocena klinične 
slike z analizo izmerjenih vrednosti). 
Acknowledgements/Zahvala
We would like to thank all the patients who shared 
their experiences with us and the staff of the medical 
centre where the research was conducted. We would 
also like to thank Jošt Bartol and Anja Srpčič for 
their help with the logistical implementation of the 
fieldwork./Za sodelovanje se zahvaljujemo vsem 
pacientom, ki so z nami delili svoje izkušnje, in osebju 
zdravstvenega doma, kjer je bila raziskava izvedena. 
Zahvaljujemo se tudi Joštu Bartolu in Anji Srpčič za 
logistično pomoč pri izvedbi terenskega dela raziskave
Conflict of interest/Nasprotje interesov
The authors declare that there is no conflict of 
interest./Avtorji izjavljajo, da ni nasprotja interesov.
Funding/Financiranje
The research was carried out within the research 
programme "Internet Research" (P5-0399) and within 
the research projects L5-9337 and J5-1785, funded by 
the Slovenian Research Agency. Research project L5-
9337 was carried out in cooperation with the University 
Clinical Centre Ljubljana and Telekom Slovenije d.d./
Raziskava je nastala v okviru raziskovalnega programa 
»Internetno raziskovanje« (P5-0399) in raziskovalnih 
projektov L5-9337 in J5-1785, ki jih financira ARRS, 
Javna agencija za raziskovalno dejavnost Republike 
Slovenije. Raziskovalni projekt L5-9337 je bil izveden 
v sodelovanju z Univerzitetnim kliničnim centrom 
Ljubljana in podjetjem Telekom Slovenije d. d.
Ethical approval/Etika raziskovanja
On 28 November 2018, we obtained the approval 
from the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of 
Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana (No.801-
2018-040/JG), and the patients gave their informed 
consent to participate in the study, to the recording of 
the interview, and to the publication of the results./Za 
izvedbo raziskave smo 28. 11. 2018 pridobili soglasje 
Komisije za etiko v raziskovanju Fakultete za družbene 
vede Univerze v Ljubljani (št. 801-2018-040/JG), 
pacienti pa so podali obveščeno soglasje k sodelovanju 
v raziskavi, snemanju pogovora in objavi rezultatov.
Author contributions/Prispevek avtorjev
Katja Prevodnik contributed to the Introduction, 
Methods, Results and Discussion sections, as well as 
the preparation of the manuscript for submission. Her 
contribution includes the preparation of the theoretical 
background and literature review, the preparation 
of the research instrument, data collection, data 
processing and interpretation, and the coordination of 
the work of the other authors. Simona Hvalič-Touzery 
contributed to the Introduction, Methods, Results and 
Discussion sections, as well as the linguistic revision 
of the text. She prepared the theoretical background, 
participated in outlining the starting points of the 
research instrument and provided an expert review 
of the interpretation of the data processing. Vesna 
Dolničar contributed to the Introduction, Methods, 
Results and Discussion sections. Her contribution 
includes the conceptual design of the research, expert 
review of the research instrument and analysis design, 
and final review of the text. Jelka Zaletel contributed 
to the Introduction, Results and Discussion sections. 
She provided expert guidance of the research from 
a medical perspective, the expert review of the 
analysis and the implications of the results. Jerneja 
Laznik contributed to the Methods, Results and 
Discussion sections. Her contribution is an overview 
of the research instrument, data processing and 
interpretation and translation of the abstract. Andraž 
Petrovčič contributed to the Introduction, Methods, 
Results and Discussion sections. His contribution 
is the conceptual design of the research, the 
management of the data collection and processing, 
and the interpretation of the results./Katja Prevodnik 
je sodelovala pri poglavjih Uvod, Metode, Rezultati in 
Diskusija, vključno s pripravo besedila za oddajo. Njen 
prispevek je priprava teoretskih izhodišč in pregleda 
literature, priprava raziskovalnega inštrumenta, 
zbiranje in obdelava podatkov in njihova interpretacija 
ter koordinacija dela ostalih avtorjev. Simona Hvalič-
Touzery je sodelovala pri poglavjih Uvod, Metode, 
Rezultati in Diskusija, vključno z jezikovnim 
pregledom besedila. Njen prispevek je priprava 
teoretičnih izhodišč, sodelovanje pri izhodiščih 
261Prevodnik et al. (2022)/Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 56(4), pp. 246–263.
raziskovalnega inštrumenta in ekspertni pregled 
interpretacije obdelave podatkov. Vesna Dolničar je 
sodelovala pri poglavjih Uvod, Metode, Rezultati in 
Diskusija. Njen prispevek je idejna zasnova raziskave, 
ekspertni pregled raziskovalnega inštrumenta in 
zasnove analize ter končni pregled besedila. Jelka 
Zaletel je sodelovala pri poglavjih Uvod, Rezultati 
in Diskusija. Njen prispevek je strokovno vodenje 
raziskave z vidika medicine, ekspertni pregled analize 
in implikacij rezultatov. Jerneja Laznik je sodelovala 
pri poglavjih Metode, Rezultati in Diskusija. Njen 
prispevek je pregled raziskovalnega inštrumenta, 
obdelava podatkov in njihova interpretacija in prevod 
izvlečka. Andraž Petrovčič je sodeloval pri poglavjih 
Uvod, Metode, Rezultati in Diskusija. Njegov prispevek 
je idejna zasnova raziskave, strokovni pregled zbiranja 
in obdelave podatkov in interpretacije rezultatov.
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Cite as/Citirajte kot: 
Prevodnik, K., Hvalič-Touzery, S., Dolničar, V., Zaletel, J., Laznik, J., & Petrovčič, A. (2022). Experience of patients with 
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https://doi.org/10.14528/snr.2022.56.4.3150