Exploring the predictors of home telehealth uptake by elderly Australian healthcare consumers

Abstract

Background Despite the significant access and cost-saving potential of telehealth, the uptake of telehealth services in Australia has been sporadic. Understanding the factors that drive the uptake of home-telehealth services from the consumer perspective has received scant attention in the literature. Aim The aim of this study was to explore how a comprehensive set of factors may influence the intention of older Australians to adopt home telehealth services. Methods A survey of 306 Australians aged between 50 and 68 years was conducted to examine the influence of six categories of predictors on the intention of older Australians to adopt home telehealth: (a) demographics, (b) health status and usage, (c) mobility and ease of access to healthcare, (d) technology usage and anxiety with technology, (e) telehealth attitudes, and (f) personality traits. Results Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that significant predictors were: trust in telehealth (β = 0.35); the technology acceptance model (β = 0.27); healthcare habits (β = −0.20); dissatisfaction with traditional healthcare (β = 0.19) and online behaviors (β = 0.09). The model explained 63% of the variance in intention to adopt home telehealth. Conclusion This study is the first of its kind in Australia and provides valuable insight into the factors which impact consumer’s intention to adopt telehealth services.