School of Humanities, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2021 Nov 24;21(1):1268. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-07283-6.
Internet medical care has been advancing steadily, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the development momentum of Internet medical care in China is more vigorous. This study aimed to explore the factors associated with using the Internet for medical information, to examine the popularisation and implementation of Internet medical treatment and feasible strategies, and promote the further development of Internet medical treatment.
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 408 medical patients who had used online medical services. The one-way analysis of variance or independent samples t-test was used to compare the differences in the influence of demographic characteristics on behavioural intentions of different people seeking medical care. Pearson's correlation was used to evaluate the correlation between different measurement variables. A mediation regression analysis was used to explore the mediating role of trust in Internet medical care.
The difference in the influence of Internet medical use frequency on the behavioural intention of different participants was statistically significant (F = 3.311, P = 0.038). Among the influencing factors, personal trust propensity (r = 0.387, P < 0.01), website credibility (r = 0.662, P < 0.01), hospital credibility (r = 0.629, P < 0.01), doctor's credibility (r = 0.746, P < 0.01), and online patient trust (r = 0.874, P < 0.01) were positively correlated with patients' behavioural intentions. In the analysis of intermediary factors, the total effect of the credibility of the diagnosis and treatment website on the behavioural intention of patients was 0.344. The total effect of the credibility of the diagnosis and treatment hospital on the behavioural intention of patients was 0.312; the total effect of the service doctor's credibility on the patient's behavioural intention was 0.385; the total effect of the personal trust tendency on the patient's behavioural intention was 0.296.
This study found defects in various factors that produce distrust in Internet medical treatment. It also reveals the positive effect of trust factors on the development and implementation of Internet medical treatment and provides some ideas for improving the use of Internet medical treatment by the masses.
互联网医疗稳步发展，尤其是在 2019 年冠状病毒病期间，中国互联网医疗发展势头更加迅猛。本研究旨在探讨与使用互联网获取医疗信息相关的因素，考察互联网医疗的普及和实施情况及可行策略，以促进互联网医疗的进一步发展。
采用横断面研究方法，对 408 名使用过在线医疗服务的就医患者进行调查。采用单因素方差分析或独立样本 t 检验比较不同人口统计学特征对不同就医患者互联网医疗使用行为意向的影响差异，采用 Pearson 相关分析评估不同测量变量间的相关性，采用中介回归分析探索互联网医疗信任的中介作用。
不同互联网医疗使用频率对不同参与者的行为意向影响的差异具有统计学意义（F=3.311，P=0.038）。在影响因素中，个人信任倾向（r=0.387，P<0.01）、网站可信度（r=0.662，P<0.01）、医院可信度（r=0.629，P<0.01）、医生可信度（r=0.746，P<0.01）和在线患者信任（r=0.874，P<0.01）与患者的行为意向呈正相关。中介因素分析中，诊断和治疗网站可信度对患者行为意向的总效应为 0.344，诊断和治疗医院可信度对患者行为意向的总效应为 0.312，服务医生可信度对患者行为意向的总效应为 0.385，个人信任倾向对患者行为意向的总效应为 0.296。
本研究发现了导致互联网医疗不信任的各因素缺陷，揭示了信任因素对互联网医疗发展和实施的积极影响，为提高民众对互联网医疗的使用提供了思路。
