JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The aging population and the accompanying rise in chronic diseases have intensified the need to study the adoption of telehealth services. However, the success of telehealth services depends not only on its ease and usefulness but also on addressing broader concerns. Despite being a significant user group in traditional health services, elderly users may encounter barriers to adopting telehealth services. Increasing the adoption of telehealth among the elderly is crucial for enhancing their access to care and managing the challenges of aging effectively.

Objective:

This research explores the factors influencing the adoption of telehealth services among the elderly in Malaysia, going beyond the conventional framework by incorporating transition cost and subjective well-being as additional constructs.

Methods:

A survey involving 119 participants was conducted, and the data were rigorously analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).

Results:

The study found that subjective well-being is the most significant factor, followed by attitude, transition cost, and perceived usefulness in influencing telehealth services adoption. Results from Importance performance map analysis (IPMA) revealed that while subjective well-being ranked as the most crucial factor for elderly users, availability demonstrated the highest performance in telehealth services.

Conclusions:

This research underscores the importance of catering to the subjective well-being of elderly users and optimizing the availability of telehealth services to encourage adoption, ultimately advancing healthcare accessibility and quality for this vulnerable demographic.