What Drives People’s Behavioral Intention Toward Telemedicine? An Emerging Economy Perspective

• Published in: SAGE open 2023-07, Vol.13 (3)
• Main Authors: Hossain, Md. Alamgir, Amin, Ruhul, Masud, Abdullah Al, Hossain, Md. Imran, Hossen, Mohammad Awal, Hossain, Mohammad Kamal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Telemedicine
• ISSN: 2158-2440; 2158-2440
• DOI: 10.1177/21582440231181394

Because healthcare systems in developing nations are underfunded and unequal, practitioners must understand how telemedicine may be widely introduced and sustained. Unfortunately, telemedicine adoption receives less attention and there is limited knowledge regarding the interfering influence of patient engagement, satisfaction, and individual innovativeness. Consequentially, the current study seeks to investigate the factors that influence patients’ behavioral intentions toward telemedicine, while acknowledging engagement and satisfaction as mediators and personal innovativeness as a moderator. A questionnaire instrument was used to reach telemedicine users in Bangladesh, and finally, 305 samples were curated and explored applying structural equation modeling in AMOS software. The empirical results show that information quality, performance expectancy, engagement, and satisfaction are strong stimulators of behavioral intention toward telemedicine, whereas functionality, information quality, and performance expectancy drive satisfaction and engagement. One of the worthy findings of this study is that engagement and satisfaction play a significant mediating function, while personal innovativeness plays a moderating role, in influencing behavioral intention toward telemedicine. Confirming engagement and satisfaction as mediators and innovativeness as a moderator adds originality to this research, and overall will help to reduce healthcare bias prejudice among marginalized people in developing countries like Bangladesh.