Web-Based Medical Service: Technology Attractiveness, Medical Creditability, Information Source, and Behavior Intention

Abstract

BackgroundWeb-based medical service (WBMS), a cooperative relationship between medical service and Internet technology, has been called one of the most innovative services of the 21st century. However, its business promotion and implementation in the medical industry have neither been expected nor executed. Few studies have explored this phenomenon from the viewpoint of inexperienced patients.ObjectiveThe primary goal of this study was to explore whether technology attractiveness, medical creditability, and diversified medical information sources could increase users’ behavior intention.MethodsThis study explored the effectiveness of web-based medical service by using three situations to manipulate sources of medical information. A total of 150 questionnaires were collected from people who had never used WBMS before. Hierarchical regression was used to examine the mediation and moderated-mediation effects.ResultsPerceived ease of use (P=.002) and perceived usefulness (P=.001) significantly enhance behavior intentions. Medical credibility is a mediator (P=.03), but the relationship does not significantly differ under diverse manipulative information channels (P=.39).ConclusionsMedical credibility could explain the extra variation between technology attractiveness and behavior intention, but not significant under different moderating effect of medical information sources.

Internet-based remote consultation facilitates the medical care of patients with chronic skin diseases during COVID-19 pandemic

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Characterization of Patient Interest in Provider-Based Consumer Health Information Technology: Survey Study

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“…The attractiveness of technology was also positively related to the behavioral intention in the context of web-based medical services (S. H. Wang, 2017). Aesthetic performance in the aspect of design attractiveness was a second major driver of search engine value.…”

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