ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2023
Influence of E-consultation on the Intention of First-Visit Patients to Select Medical Services: Results of a Scenario Survey.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Internet-based healthcare services use patterns and barriers among middle-aged and older adults in China: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- A reliable tool for assessment of acceptance of e-consultation service in hospitals: the modified e-consultation Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) questionnaire.The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association · 2025Article
- Inpatient preferences among patients with multiple chronic conditions in China: A discrete choice experiment.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- The Impact and Wider Implications of Remote Consultations for General Practice in Norway: Qualitative Study Among Norwegian Contract General Practitioners.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Impact of Internet Hospital Consultations on Outpatient Visits and Expenses: Quasi-Experimental Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Effect of Prosocial Behaviors on e-Consultations in a Web-Based Health Care Community: Panel Data Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Developing a Quality Evaluation Index System for E-Consultation Doctor-Patient Communication Using the Delphi Method.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundE-consultation is expected to improve the information level of patients, affect patients' subsequent judgments of medical services, and guide patients to make a reasonable medical selection in the future. Thus, it is important to understand the influence mechanism of e-consultation on patients' medical selection.
objectiveThis study aims to explore the changes in first-visit patients' understanding of disease and medical resources after e-consultation as well as the choice of follow-up medical services.
methodsPatients' medical selection before and after e-consultation was compared using a scenario survey. Based on the service characteristics of the e-consultation platform, representative simulation scenarios were determined, and parallel control groups were set up considering the order effect in comparison. Finally, a total of 4 scenario simulation questionnaires were designed. A total of 4164 valid questionnaires were collected through the online questionnaire collection platform. Patients' perception of disease severity, evaluation of treatment capacity of medical institutions, selection of hospitals and doctors, and other outcome indicators were tested to analyze the differences in patients' evaluation and choice of medical services before and after e-consultation. Additionally, the results' stability was tested by regression analysis.
resultsIn scenario 1 (mild case), before e-consultation, 14.1% (104/740) of participants considered their conditions as not serious. After e-consultation, 69.5% (539/775) of them considered their diseases as not serious. Furthermore, participants' evaluation of the disease treatment capacity of medical institutions at all levels had improved after using e-consultation. In scenario 3 (severe case), before e-consultation, 54.1% (494/913) of the participants believed their diseases were very serious. After e-consultation, 16.6% (157/945) considered their diseases were very serious. The evaluation of disease treatment capacity of medical institutions in nontertiary hospitals decreased, whereas that of tertiary hospitals improved. In both mild and severe cases, before e-consultation, all of the participants were inclined to directly visit the hospital. After e-consultation, more than 71.4% (553/775) of the patients with mild diseases chose self-treatment, whereas those with severe diseases still opted for a face-to-face consultation. After e-consultation, patients who were set on being treated in a hospital, regardless of the disease severity, preferred to select the tertiary hospitals. Of the patients with mild diseases who chose to go to a hospital, 25.7% (57/222) wanted to consult online doctors face-to-face. By contrast, 56.4% (506/897) of the severe cases wanted to consult online doctors face-to-face.
conclusionsE-consultation can help patients accurately enhance their awareness of the disease and guide them to make a more reasonable medical selection. However, it is likely that e-consultation makes online medical services centralized. Additionally, the guiding effect of e-consultation is limited, and e-consultation needs to be combined with other supporting systems conducive to medical selection to play an improved role.
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