数字时代的患者流动性：互联网医院的在线服务信息如何塑造患者的跨地区医疗选择。

Patient Mobility in the Digital Era: How Online Service Information from Internet Hospitals Shapes Patients' Cross-Regional Healthcare Choices.

作者信息

Lu Yingjie, Shi Luli, Wang Zimeng

机构信息

School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.

出版信息

Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Feb 23;13(5):484. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13050484.

DOI:10.3390/healthcare13050484

PMID:40077046

原文链接:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11898519/

Abstract

Patients in medically underserved regions often seek cross-regional healthcare for high-quality medical services but face significant barriers due to limited information about providers. Internet hospitals address this gap by offering online consultations, remote diagnoses, and public service information. This study examines how such information shapes patients' cross-regional healthcare choices. : A binary logistic regression model using signaling theory was employed to evaluate the impact of platform-generated signals (e.g., hospital ratings) and patient-generated signals (e.g., review quantity and polarity) on patients' cross-regional healthcare choices. The experimental data were sourced from a leading Chinese online medical platform, comprising 1901 hospitals and 273,884 patient feedback records. Among these, 216,793 patients (79.16%) sought cross-regional treatment, while 57,091 patients (20.84%) opted for local treatment. Platform-generated signals, such as hospital ratings (B = 0.406, < 0.01) and patient-generated signals, including review quantity (B = 0.089, < 0.01) and polarity (B = 0.634, < 0.01), significantly and positively influence patients' cross-regional healthcare choices. Disease severity and local medical resource availability moderated these effects: Patients with severe conditions rely less on hospital ratings (B = -0.365, < 0.01), while those in resource-limited areas depend more on hospital ratings (B = -0.138, < 0.01) and review quantity (B = -0.029, < 0.01) but less on review polarity (B = 0.273, < 0.01). These findings offer actionable insights for policymakers and platform developers to optimize online healthcare services, facilitating informed cross-regional healthcare decisions and advancing healthcare equity in the digital era.

摘要

医疗服务欠缺地区的患者常常为了获得高质量医疗服务而寻求跨地区医疗，但由于对医疗服务提供者的信息了解有限，他们面临着重重障碍。互联网医院通过提供在线咨询、远程诊断和公共服务信息来弥补这一差距。本研究考察了此类信息如何影响患者的跨地区医疗选择。：采用基于信号理论的二元逻辑回归模型，评估平台生成信号（如医院评级）和患者生成信号（如评论数量和极性）对患者跨地区医疗选择的影响。实验数据来源于中国一家领先的在线医疗平台，包括1901家医院和273,884条患者反馈记录。其中，216,793名患者（79.16%）寻求跨地区治疗，而57,091名患者（20.84%）选择在当地治疗。平台生成信号，如医院评级（B = 0.406，< 0.01）和患者生成信号，包括评论数量（B = 0.089，< 0.01）和极性（B = 0.634，< 0.01），对患者的跨地区医疗选择有显著的正向影响。疾病严重程度和当地医疗资源可用性调节了这些影响：病情严重的患者对医院评级的依赖程度较低（B = -0.365，< 0.01），而在资源有限地区的患者对医院评级（B = -0.138，< 0.01）和评论数量（B = -0.029，< 0.01）的依赖程度更高，但对评论极性的依赖程度较低（B = 0.273，< 0.01）。这些发现为政策制定者和平台开发者优化在线医疗服务提供了可操作的见解，有助于在数字时代做出明智的跨地区医疗决策并促进医疗公平。