Perceived importance and determinants of telehealth integration in clinical training for chest physicians: A cross-sectional survey-based study

Background The integration of telehealth into medical education offers opportunities to overcome training challenges, including travel burdens, workforce absenteeism, and rising costs, which became pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Egypt, national telemedicine initiatives have expanded access, yet factors influencing physicians’ perceptions of telehealth integration into clinical training remain underexplored. Therefore, we aimed to assess chest physicians’ perceptions of telehealth integration into clinical training and identify demographic, experiential, and system-level determinants influencing these perceptions. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 168 chest physicians across hospitals, clinics, and private practices in Egypt. Data on demographics, professional experience, telehealth usage, satisfaction, confidence, EHR integration, and security perceptions were collected via a structured electronic questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression was used to identify independent predictors of perceived importance of telehealth integration. Results Participants had a mean age of 40.8 years and 15.5 years of experience; 35% held master’s degrees and 23% PhDs. Telehealth consultations were conducted weekly by 43.5% of respondents. Most physicians reported moderate to high satisfaction and perceived its integration with EHR systems as moderate. Regression analysis identified four significant predictors of perceived importance: overall satisfaction (β = 0.303, p < 0.001), PhD-level academic rank (β = 0.645, p = 0.015), perceived effectiveness of security and confidentiality (β = 0.230, p = 0.008), and perceived integration in HER (β = 0.190, p = 0.008). The model explained 32% of the variance (Adjusted R²=0.317). Conclusions Chest physicians generally recognize telehealth as important for clinical training. Satisfaction, academic rank, security confidence, and perceived effectiveness influence adoption. Strategies to enhance digital competencies, secure user-friendly platforms, and leverage senior physicians as champions may facilitate broader telehealth integration into medical education.