Health information acquisition online and its influence on intention to visit a medical institution offline

Introduction. Previous studies on adoption of the Internet have investigated e-service quality as a measure of Website satisfaction. We believe health care customers' information acquisition online is equally important, not only for attracting patients or potential customers to hospitals but also for creating economic value. This paper proposes a model for the relationship between Website satisfaction based on the customer's information acquisition and intention to visit and purchase health care services. Method. We surveyed individuals between the ages of 20 and 30 who had substantial experience in using medical institutions' Websites and who were primarily students or office workers. The respondents answered the survey questionnaire based on their past experience in searching Websites of primary health care institutions. In order to enhance reliability, professional pollsters supervised the survey. Analysis. A structural equation model was used to test our research hypotheses. Results. The results show significant relationships between e-service quality, the customer's information acquisition, Website satisfaction, health care service expectation and intention for an offline visit. Conclusions. The results may contribute to evaluate the quality of health care Websites in terms of information quality and examine how information provided affects the customer's offline intentions.