ArticlePLOS digital health2023
A profile of patients' and doctors' perceptions, acceptance, and utilization of e-health in a deprived region in southwestern China.
Article in PLOS digital health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Telehealth readiness among Saudi nurses: the critical role of innovative self-efficacy.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Status and analysis of Free Hospital-Based Internet + Nursing Health Consultation Services: a retrospective study.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Current Status of Telerehabilitation Services in Low-Middle Income Countries - A Scoping Review.International journal of telerehabilitation · 2025Article
- Longitudinal Trends in Medicine Supply, Price and Utilisation in Primary Care Facilities in Rural Southwestern China Under National Essential Medicines Policy (2012-2017): Disparities Across Facilities and Medicines.International journal of health policy and management · 2025Article
- Comparing the Quality of Direct-to-Consumer Telemedicine Dominated and Delivered by Public and Private Sector Platforms in China: Standardized Patient Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Short- and long-term impacts of the National Essential Medicines Policy on drug availability, price, and usage in a deprived rural county in southwestern China: an interrupted time series analysis across 8 years.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundE-health has the potential to promote health accessibility, performance and cost-saving. However, the adoption and penetration of e-health in underprivileged areas remains insufficient. We aim to investigate patients' and doctors' perception, acceptance, and utilization of e-health in a rural, spatially isolated and poverty-stricken county in southwestern China.
methodsA retrospective analysis based on a cross-sectional survey of patients and doctors in 2016 was conducted. Participants were recruited through convenience and purposive sampling, and questionnaires were self-designed and validated by investigators. The utilization, intention to use and preference of four e-health services were evaluated, including e-appointment, e-consultation, online drug purchase, and telemedicine. Predictors of utilization and intention to use e-health services were investigated by multivariable logistic regression.
resultsA total of 485 patients were included. The utilization rate of any type of e-health services was 29.9%, ranging from 6% in telemedicine to 18% in e-consultation. Additionally, 13.9%-30.3% of respondents as non-users revealed their willingness to use such services. Users and potential users of e-health services were inclined to specialized care from county, city or province hospitals, and they were most concerned with the quality, ease of use and price of e-health service. Patients' utilization and intention to use e-health could be associated with education and income level, cohabitants, working location, previous medical utilization, and access to digital device and internet. There remained 53.9%-78.3% of respondents reluctant to use e-health services, mainly due to perceived inability to use them. Of 212 doctors, 58% and 28% had provided online consultation and telemedicine before, and over 80% of county-hospital doctors (including actual providers) indicated their willingness to provide such services. Reliability, quality and ease of use were doctors' major concerns regarding e-health. Doctors' actual provision of e-health was predicted by their professional title, number of years in work, satisfaction with the wage incentive system, and self-rated health. Nevertheless, their willingness to adopt was only associated with the possession of smartphone.
conclusionsE-health is still in its infancy in western and rural China, where health resources are most scarce, and where e-health could prove most beneficial. Our study reveals the wide gaps between patients' low usage and their certain willingness to use e-health, as well as gaps between patients' moderate attention to use and physician's high preparedness to adopt e-health. Patients' and doctors' perceptions, needs, expectations, and concerns should be recognized and considered to promote the development of e-health in these underprivileged regions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.