Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Human Factors
Date Submitted: May 20, 2024
Date Accepted: Feb 9, 2026
Telemedicine service experience instrument: development and validation study in Chinese outpatients
ABSTRACT
Background:
Telemedicine services represent an emerging healthcare model where patient satisfaction is a crucial indicator of quality and a key driver of telemedicine’s development.
Objective:
To assess the appropriateness of the “Telemedicine Service Experience Questionnaire” (TSEQ) scale as an instrument to measure satisfaction for a broad range of patients across China. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted, on patients who have experienced telemedicine service, to test and validate the factor structures of the TSEQ scale.
Methods:
This study focuses on patients at Peking Union Medical College Hospital who have utilized telemedicine services, employing an adapted “The Chinese Patient Experience Questionnaire” that encompasses 15 questions across 4 dimensions to investigate patients’ telemedicine consultation experiences. Based on this data, the internal consistency and validity of the scale were analyzed, and structural analysis of the scale was conducted using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.
Results:
The exploratory factor analysis on the final 14-item scale resulted in 4 factors. After scrutinizing the content, these factors were labeled “Service Efficiency”, “Post treatment”, “Information Guidance” and “Humanistic Care”, and they demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach alphas 0.876, 0.840, 0.962, and 0.876, respectively). Moreover, the AVE value is greater than 0.5 and the CR value is greater than 0.7, the TSEQ scale has high convergent validity. Our findings suggest that the psychometric properties of the 14-item TESQ are valid and reliable for assessing telemedicine service among Chinese outpatients.
Conclusions:
Our study contributes to the ongoing discourse on telemedicine by providing a validated tool for measuring patient experience and highlighting the essential elements of care that impact patient satisfaction. Future research should aim to address the methodological limitations identified, exploring telemedicine's impact across different demographics and healthcare settings to ensure equitable and effective healthcare delivery.
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