Researchers: Anat Drach-Zahavy¹, Tamar Almor², Sonia Habib³, Batya Madjar³

Background: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women face unique barriers to healthcare access. Video consultations offer potential to address these barriers, yet their preferences regarding telemedicine remain unstudied. Three peer-reviewed articles were published as part of this project.

Objectives: To explore attitudes toward telemedicine, develop a culturally adapted DCE instrument, and elicit quantitative preferences for video versus in-clinic consultations at family health stations.

Method: A sequential mixed-methods program comprising qualitative interviews (n=22), DCE questionnaire development with stakeholder interviews (n=33), attribute ranking (n=88), cognitive interviews (n=15), and a face-to-face paper-based DCE (n=174). Mixed logit modeling was used for preference estimation.

Findings: Waiting time was the strongest preference driver (β=−1.50, p<0.001), followed by evening appointment availability (β=1.10, p<0.001), nurse familiarity (β=0.55, p<0.001), and child presence requirement (β=−0.51, p<0.001). Overall preference for video versus in-clinic consultation was non-significant. Optimized configurations could capture 58–78% of current in-person consultations.

Conclusions: Culturally appropriate video consultation implementation is feasible, provided services address this population's specific constraints.

Recommendations: Services should prioritize evening availability, nurse continuity, minimized child presence requirements, and rabbinically approved devices.

Research end date: 05/2026