Telemedicine and the Attractiveness of a Family Medicine Career Among Hungarian Medical Students: Implications for the Digital Health Primary Care Workforce

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Telemedicine expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now embedded in primary care, a field facing an acute workforce crisis. Whether it could make a general practitioner (GP) career more attractive to future physicians has largely been unexplored. We assessed fifth-year medical students’ perceptions of telemedicine and factors associated with viewing it as increasing the attractiveness of GP work. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 140 of 154 fifth-year students at the University of Debrecen, Hungary (response rate 91%), completed a self-developed, paper-based questionnaire in early 2026. Ordinal data were analysed with non-parametric tests, a composite perceived usefulness score, and binary logistic regression, with Holm–Bonferroni correction for pre-specified comparisons. Results: Awareness was near-universal (98.6%), but self-perceived knowledge was modest and showed no association with usefulness ratings (rho = 0.024, 95% CI −0.14 to 0.19). Synchronous and clinical data modalities were rated more useful than informal text channels, and 82.9% preferred hybrid working. Only 32.1% thought telemedicine would make GP work more attractive; this perception was independently associated with GP career interest (adjusted OR 2.59, 95% CI 1.47–4.57) but not with sex, age, or knowledge. Conclusions: Telemedicine is viewed as useful but appears to reinforce existing career interest rather than independently attract students to general practice.