A theoretical investigation into determinants of public telehealth acceptance during crises

Abstract

ABSTRACT With telehealth becoming more prominent in modern healthcare delivery services, understanding users’ acceptance of telehealth becomes critical. In light of this, the study's goal is to examine the antecedents that influence users’ acceptance of telehealth during times of crisis. This study is anchored on two theories: the extended theory of planned behaviour and the health belief model. An online survey was administrated in Singapore. Five hundred data were collected from Singapore telehealth users using stratified sampling. Structural equation modelling was performed to analyse the data. The analytical results indicate that (1) perceived threat has a significant impact on the subjective norms; (2) perceived benefit and perceived control have a significant impact on attitude; (3) resource availability and technology self-efficacy are the antecedents of behavioural control; and (4) behavioural control, attitude, and subjective norms are salient predictors of users’ intention to accept telehealth. The current research contributes to the existing literature by integrating the health belief model and the extended theory of planned behaviour to provide a novel perspective to understand users’ acceptance of telehealth under the influence of health crises. Furthermore, the current research also highlights important guidelines for healthcare service providers to enhance telehealth acceptance.