JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The issue of regulation schemes and expanding coverage of health insurance on virtual visits of internet hospital would incentive Chinese providers and patients to use virtual visits tremendously. China’s internet hospitals vary in sponsorship. However, little is known about patients’ different intention to use virtual visits delivered by different sponsorship types of internet hospitals.

Objective:

To examine Chinese patients’ intention to use virtual visit, as well as virtual visits delivered by different sponsorship types of internet hospitals. To identify determinants of intention to use virtual visit, as well as intention to use virtual visits delivered by different sponsorship types of internet hospitals.

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey of 1653 participants was conducted in 3-tier hospitals in 3 cities with different income levels, in May and June 2019. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors that affect patients’ intention to use the virtual visit. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the determinants of the intention to use virtual visit delivered by different sponsorship types of internet hospitals.

Results:

Chinese patients had very high intention to use virtual visit (87.06%). Public-hospital-sponsored internet hospitals were the most prevalent one among Chinese patients (53.09%), followed by the provincial government internet hospital platform (26.44%), digital health firms (12.89%), internet firms (5.53%), private hospitals (1.41%). Gender, education, income and consumer type were significantly associated with the intention to use virtual visits. Gender, age, education, city income level, consumer type, and trust on different sponsorship types of health websites were significantly associated with the patient’s intention to use virtual visits delivered by three major different types of internet hospitals (enterprise-sponsored, public-hospital-sponsored, and government-sponsored).

Conclusions:

Chinese patients had very high intention to use virtual visits, and had different intention to use virtual visits delivered by different sponsorship types of internet hospitals. Trust on different sponsors significantly influenced the patient’s intention to use virtual visits delivered by different sponsorship types of internet hospitals. Digital enterprises, public hospitals, and the government were the three major sponsor types of internet hospitals that patient had intention to use virtual visits. Gender, education and consumer type were the factors that significantly associated with both the intention to use virtual visits, and the intention to use virtual visits delivered by different sponsorship types of internet hospitals.