Factors that Drive the Adoption of Telemedicine in Older People

Abstract

Due to the geographical characteristics of Chile, which make it difficult for people to access health services, in addition to the consequences of the global pandemic COVID-19, telemedicine has emerged as a solution to the gaps in access to medical services. This technology requires specific knowledge and skills for using the platforms, which can bring problems for older people. This study seeks to explain the factors that can drive the adoption of telemedicine in the Chilean context, looking to establish a model for the adoption of telemedicine in older people. This proposal is developed with a combination of PLS-SEM and fsQCA to test the relevance of the proposed determinants in adopting this technology and to analyse whether these factors are necessary or sufficient for this behaviour to occur. After the analysis, it was possible to observe through PLS-SEM analysis that Effort Expectancy, Performance Expectancy, Social Influence, and Price affect the intention to use telemedicine. On the other hand, the fsQCA analysis highlighted the importance of Performance Expectancy when adopting telemedicine, with its presence being a necessary condition. Subsequently, the sufficiency analysis supports what was found in the necessary condition analysis. With these results, the study seeks to contribute to the literature on the relationship between the elderly and information technologies through these methodologies and empirical conclusions.