Abstract
BackgroundAlthough telehealth is considered a key component in combating the worldwide crisis caused by COVID-19, the factors that influence its acceptance by the general population after the flattening of the COVID-19 curve remain unclear.ObjectiveWe aimed to identify factors affecting telehealth acceptance, including anxiety related to COVID-19, after the initial rapid spread of the disease in South Korea.MethodsWe proposed an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) and performed a cross-sectional survey of individuals aged ≥30 years. In total, 471 usable responses were collected. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the validity of measurements, and the partial least squares (PLS) method was used to investigate factors influencing telehealth acceptance and the impacts of COVID-19.ResultsPLS analysis showed that increased accessibility, enhanced care, and ease of telehealth use had positive effects on its perceived usefulness (P=.002, P<.001, and P<.001, respectively). Furthermore, perceived usefulness, ease, and privacy/discomfort significantly impacted the acceptance of telehealth (P<.001, P<.001, and P<.001, respectively). However, anxiety toward COVID-19 was not associated with telehealth acceptance (P=.112), and this insignificant relationship was consistent in the cluster (n=216, 46%) of respondents with chronic diseases (P=.185).ConclusionsIncreased accessibility, enhanced care, usefulness, ease of use, and privacy/discomfort are decisive variables affecting telehealth acceptance in the Korean general population, whereas anxiety about COVID-19 is not. This study may lead to a tailored promotion of telehealth after the pandemic subsides.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, has changed the world in various ways
We investigated whether anxiety related to COVID-19 had any significant impact on telehealth acceptance
Many studies have investigated telehealth acceptance based on technology acceptance model (TAM) in multiple countries such as Taiwan [50] and China [19,51], and perceived usefulness and ease of use were validated as positive factors for telehealth acceptance
Summary
Background The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, has changed the world in various ways. Telehealth has gained unprecedented attention in the world as a protective measure against COVID-19 [5]. As a country situated close to China, South Korea was soon affected with its own outbreak. The number of confirmed cases dramatically increased and reached a count of 909 cases daily on February 29, which was the highest number of cases reported by far in South Korea [8]. From February 24 to April 12, a total of 103,998 telehealth appointments were conducted in South Korea (2167 appointments per day on average) [9]. As of early June, the average number of daily incident cases was 55 in South Korea during an entire week, which represents a remarkable decrease from the previous average number of daily cases of 445 between February 25 and March 10 (15 days). Telehealth is considered a key component in combating the worldwide crisis caused by COVID-19, the factors that influence its acceptance by the general population after the flattening of the COVID-19 curve remain unclear
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