Privacy Concerns and Continued Use Intention of Telemedicine During COVID-19.

Introduction: Privacy concerns are a major barrier to online technology adoption. However, when consumers are facing personal risks (being ill) and environmental risks (pandemic), the effect of privacy concerns on continued use intention of telemedicine is unknown. The large user pool of virtual visits during COVID-19 provides a great opportunity to understand consumers' privacy concerns when facing personal and environmental risks. Objective: This research investigates how patients weigh personal risks (e.g., illness) and environmental risks (e.g., pandemic) against privacy concerns when deciding whether to utilize telemedicine as an option for being treated for an acute illness. Methods: Respondents (1,059 qualified) meeting the following criteria: ≥18 years old, U.S. residents, virtual patient for acute conditions during COVID-19, and a Human Intelligence Task approval rate of >95%, were recruited utilizing Amazon Mechanical Turk during the middle of the pandemic. An online survey was conducted to collect data. Results: Analysis indicates that first-time telepatients (82% of respondents) have greater privacy concerns than repeat users. Findings also indicate that patients who are female and have some college education or less reported greater privacy concerns. Interestingly, privacy concerns are positively related to continued use intention. This result holds when satisfaction and user characteristics are controlled. Conclusions: When consumers are ill, privacy concerns still play an important role in telemedicine adoption. However, under environmental risks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, privacy concerns do not negatively impact their continued use intention, and satisfaction is positively associated with continued use intention.

Telemedicine for Acute Conditions During COVID-19: A Nationwide Survey Using Crowdsourcing.

Background: COVID-19 has resulted in a rapid and significant adoption of telemedicine for acute conditions. Understanding whether patient demand will last after the pandemic helps providers and payers make informed decisions about whether to continue adopting telemedicine. Objective: We examine user experience as well as process and patient outcomes of using telemedicine for acute conditions during COVID-19 and assess how patient outcomes are affected by waiting times and demographics. Materials and Methods: A survey was conducted via Amazon Mechanical Turk during June 17-29, 2020. Inclusion criteria were: (1) ≥18 years old, (2) residing in the United States, (3) used telemedicine for acute conditions after January, and 4) a human intelligence task approval rate of >95%. Process outcomes included patient waiting time with patient outcomes being satisfaction and future use intention. Bivariate analysis and regressions of the data were performed. Results: On average, respondents reported appointment wait time of 2.76 days and virtual office wait time of 19.44 min. Overall, respondents reported moderate satisfaction (mean 5.08-5.35 of 7) and future use intention (mean 5.10-5.32 of 7). Over 72% of the respondents were satisfied and had future use intention. Females, heavier internet users, and those on the higher/lower ends of the education spectrum reported better patient outcomes. Patients "visiting" a doctor experiencing eye problems, vis-à-vis other ailments, reported lower satisfaction and intention. Waiting time negatively associates with satisfaction. Conclusions: Given the satisfactory outcomes, the high demand for telemedicine may continue after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, whether providers will continue to offer telemedicine visits may require more evidence.