OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the relationship between perceived usefulness and ease of use of telemedicine services and their association with the behavioral intention to use telemedicine.
METHODS: An anonymous cross-sectional survey was conducted in China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to determine significant predictors of intention to use telemedicine consultation. Types of illnesses that favored seeking telemedicine consultation, as well as the most preferred platform for conducting telemedicine consultations, were also investigated.
RESULTS: In total, 1006 participants completed the survey. A total of 44.3% (n=446) reported being very likely and 49.3% (n=496) reported being likely to seek telemedicine consultation. Overall, the majority of participants expressed strong agreement or agreement regarding the perceived usefulness of telemedicine. Likewise, the majority indicated strong agreement or agreement when it came to their perception of the ease of using telemedicine. In the partial least squares structural equation modeling, perceived usefulness (β=0.322; P<.001) and perceived ease of use (β=0.118; P=.01) were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of seeking telemedicine consultation. A considerable number of participants expressed willingness to use telemedicine services for various medical conditions, particularly respiratory (n=340, 33.8%), skin (n=316, 31.4%), and musculoskeletal issues (n=316, 31.4%) while showing less interest in seeking telemedicine consultations for reproductive health (n=44, 4.4%) and cancer (n=64, 6.4%). The majority preferred video chat (n=443, 44%) and text chat (n=317, 31.5%) as their most preferred platforms for telemedicine consultation, while a smaller proportion preferred telephone (n=193, 19.2%) and email (n=53, 5.3%).
CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine has the potential to play a larger role in China\'s health care system. The preferences for certain platforms over others may influence service design and implementation.
目的:本研究旨在研究远程医疗服务的感知有用性和易用性之间的关系,以及它们与使用远程医疗的行为意图之间的关联。
方法:在中国进行了匿名横断面调查。偏最小二乘结构方程模型用于确定使用远程医疗咨询意图的重要预测因素。喜欢寻求远程医疗咨询的疾病类型,以及进行远程医疗咨询的最优选平台,也被调查了。
结果:总计,1006名参与者完成了调查。总共有44.3%(n=446)报告很有可能,而49.3%(n=496)报告有可能寻求远程医疗咨询。总的来说,大多数参与者对远程医疗的有用性表示了强烈的同意或认同.同样,当谈到他们对使用远程医疗的便利性的看法时,大多数人表示强烈同意或同意。在偏最小二乘结构方程建模中,感知有用性(β=0.322;P<.001)和感知易用性(β=0.118;P=.01)与寻求远程医疗咨询的更高可能性显著相关.相当多的与会者表示愿意针对各种医疗条件使用远程医疗服务,特别是呼吸(n=340,33.8%),皮肤(n=316,31.4%),和肌肉骨骼问题(n=316,31.4%),而对寻求生殖健康(n=44,4.4%)和癌症(n=64,6.4%)的远程医疗咨询的兴趣较小。大多数人首选视频聊天(n=443,44%)和文本聊天(n=317,31.5%)作为远程医疗咨询的首选平台,而较小的比例首选电话(n=193,19.2%)和电子邮件(n=53,5.3%)。
结论:远程医疗有可能在中国的医疗系统中发挥更大的作用。某些平台相对于其他平台的偏好可能会影响服务设计和实现。