Psychological antecedents of telehealth acceptance: A technology readiness perspective

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been threatening the healthcare system. In this context, telehealth is a potential solution to deliver effective and safe health care to the public. To facili-tate the application and acceptance of telehealth, a good understanding of psychological determi-nants is of great importance. Therefore, this study aims to examine the public's positive and nega-tive mindsets towards telehealth. A theoretical model was established by employing the technol-ogy readiness model and perceived value theory. To empirically test the relationships between constructs, a total of 500 responses from residents in Singapore were collected; thereafter, struc-tural equation modeling was performed. The results indicate that discomfort negatively impacts perceived value whereas optimism and innovativeness positively impact users' perceived value. Further, perceived value positively impacts the acceptance of telehealth via attitude. Demo-graphic factors (i.e. internet literacy, age, education) can also influence certain aspects of tech-nology readiness (e.g. innovativeness, optimism). Moreover, social influence is an important moderator between perceived value and the acceptance of telehealth. The empirical findings en-hance the understanding of users' psychology concerning telehealth and provide policy recom-mendations regarding the development of telehealth to improve public health.