Willingness to Use and Pay for Telemedicine and Teleconsultation Across Five Clinical Domains in South Korea: Cross-Sectional Survey
BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated global telehealth adoption, prompting the South Korean government to temporarily legalize telemedicine in 2020 and subsequently launch a pilot program in 2023. As South Korea transitions to a postpandemic digital health environment,...
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JMIR Publications
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| Online Access: | https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e65304 |
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| author | Hajae Jeon Jeahyung Lee Jieun Jang Mingee Choi Junbok Lee Jaeyong Shin |
| author_facet | Hajae Jeon Jeahyung Lee Jieun Jang Mingee Choi Junbok Lee Jaeyong Shin |
| author_sort | Hajae Jeon |
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BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated global telehealth adoption, prompting the South Korean government to temporarily legalize telemedicine in 2020 and subsequently launch a pilot program in 2023. As South Korea transitions to a postpandemic digital health environment, understanding the factors associated with willingness to use (WTU) and willingness to pay (WTP) for telemedicine and teleconsultation is essential for informing effective policy and service design. However, few studies have explored how preferences vary across clinical domains or user groups.
ObjectiveThis study examined the factors that influence WTU and WTP for telemedicine and teleconsultation across 5 clinical domains: dermatological, psychiatric, musculoskeletal, internal medicine, and cancer disorders.
MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 552 participants aged 19-69 years in South Korea, selected through stratified sampling. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine WTU and WTP, considering sociodemographic factors and previous telemedicine experience.
ResultsParticipants’ age, residence, and previous telemedicine experience significantly influenced their WTU and WTP for telemedicine services. WTP increased with age for both telemedicine (P-for-trend=.02) and teleconsultation (P-for-trend=.001). Noncapital residents showed significantly higher WTU for teleconsultation than capital area residents (odds ratio [OR] 1.48, 90% CI 1.03-2.12; P=.07). Participants with previous telemedicine experience showed higher WTU for telemedicine (OR 4.07, 90% CI 1.84-9.04; P=.004) and teleconsultation (OR 2.21, 90% CI 1.21-4.06; P=.03), and higher WTP for telemedicine (OR 2.89, 90% CI 1.84-4.54; P<.001) and teleconsultation (OR 2.76, 90% CI 1.77-4.30; P<.001). WTU and WTP varied by clinical domain: psychiatric care showed the highest WTU (64.5%) and WTP (27.0%) for telemedicine, while cancer disorders showed higher WTU (48.6%) and WTP (24.8%) for teleconsultation than for telemedicine.
ConclusionsWTU and WTP for telemedicine and teleconsultation differ substantially depending on service type, clinical domain, and user characteristics. These findings highlight the importance of considering prior telemedicine experience, regional access disparities, and condition-specific care needs when designing digital health strategies. Accordingly, flexible, user-centered telehealth policies are needed to support service accessibility and equitable implementation in the post–COVID-19 era. The insights from this study can serve as a practical foundation for developing inclusive digital health systems in countries undergoing similar transitions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7957f757734f4c41a90450ff4e7576ed |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1438-8871 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
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| series | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-7957f757734f4c41a90450ff4e7576ed2025-08-20T03:45:24ZengJMIR PublicationsJournal of Medical Internet Research1438-88712025-06-0127e6530410.2196/65304Willingness to Use and Pay for Telemedicine and Teleconsultation Across Five Clinical Domains in South Korea: Cross-Sectional SurveyHajae Jeonhttps://orcid.org/0009-0009-8121-2067Jeahyung Leehttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-2799-9034Jieun Janghttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1797-8649Mingee Choihttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9383-6402Junbok Leehttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7770-4362Jaeyong Shinhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2955-6382 BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated global telehealth adoption, prompting the South Korean government to temporarily legalize telemedicine in 2020 and subsequently launch a pilot program in 2023. As South Korea transitions to a postpandemic digital health environment, understanding the factors associated with willingness to use (WTU) and willingness to pay (WTP) for telemedicine and teleconsultation is essential for informing effective policy and service design. However, few studies have explored how preferences vary across clinical domains or user groups. ObjectiveThis study examined the factors that influence WTU and WTP for telemedicine and teleconsultation across 5 clinical domains: dermatological, psychiatric, musculoskeletal, internal medicine, and cancer disorders. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 552 participants aged 19-69 years in South Korea, selected through stratified sampling. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine WTU and WTP, considering sociodemographic factors and previous telemedicine experience. ResultsParticipants’ age, residence, and previous telemedicine experience significantly influenced their WTU and WTP for telemedicine services. WTP increased with age for both telemedicine (P-for-trend=.02) and teleconsultation (P-for-trend=.001). Noncapital residents showed significantly higher WTU for teleconsultation than capital area residents (odds ratio [OR] 1.48, 90% CI 1.03-2.12; P=.07). Participants with previous telemedicine experience showed higher WTU for telemedicine (OR 4.07, 90% CI 1.84-9.04; P=.004) and teleconsultation (OR 2.21, 90% CI 1.21-4.06; P=.03), and higher WTP for telemedicine (OR 2.89, 90% CI 1.84-4.54; P<.001) and teleconsultation (OR 2.76, 90% CI 1.77-4.30; P<.001). WTU and WTP varied by clinical domain: psychiatric care showed the highest WTU (64.5%) and WTP (27.0%) for telemedicine, while cancer disorders showed higher WTU (48.6%) and WTP (24.8%) for teleconsultation than for telemedicine. ConclusionsWTU and WTP for telemedicine and teleconsultation differ substantially depending on service type, clinical domain, and user characteristics. These findings highlight the importance of considering prior telemedicine experience, regional access disparities, and condition-specific care needs when designing digital health strategies. Accordingly, flexible, user-centered telehealth policies are needed to support service accessibility and equitable implementation in the post–COVID-19 era. The insights from this study can serve as a practical foundation for developing inclusive digital health systems in countries undergoing similar transitions.https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e65304 |
| spellingShingle | Hajae Jeon Jeahyung Lee Jieun Jang Mingee Choi Junbok Lee Jaeyong Shin Willingness to Use and Pay for Telemedicine and Teleconsultation Across Five Clinical Domains in South Korea: Cross-Sectional Survey Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| title | Willingness to Use and Pay for Telemedicine and Teleconsultation Across Five Clinical Domains in South Korea: Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_full | Willingness to Use and Pay for Telemedicine and Teleconsultation Across Five Clinical Domains in South Korea: Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_fullStr | Willingness to Use and Pay for Telemedicine and Teleconsultation Across Five Clinical Domains in South Korea: Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Willingness to Use and Pay for Telemedicine and Teleconsultation Across Five Clinical Domains in South Korea: Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_short | Willingness to Use and Pay for Telemedicine and Teleconsultation Across Five Clinical Domains in South Korea: Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_sort | willingness to use and pay for telemedicine and teleconsultation across five clinical domains in south korea cross sectional survey |
| url | https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e65304 |
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