Factors Influencing the Use of Telemedicine Services: A Case Study of the Mobile Application

Advances in information technology have caused fundamental changes in life and work environments. As digital technologies such as smartphones become more ubiquitous, individuals can engage in self-monitoring and self-care and gain more control over their health trajectories across the life course. Education and gender are two important components in the use of mobile health applications. Education is effective in the amount and manner of using mobile applications, and gender plays a major role in virtual setting, especially in mobile applications, in contrast to physical presence in hospitals and clinics

This applied study was carried out with a descriptive-quantitative method in the form of a case study among users of the Snap Doctor mobile application. To collect data, a researcher-made questionnaire based on available random sampling and inferential statistics methods, including tests of significance and especially correlation based on confirmatory structural equationswere used.

Inadequate information communication technology infrastructure was the major obstacle for telemedicine, followed by cultural resistance in using technology to provide healthcare services. Other significant barriers are like this: the high cost of setting up prerequisite (initial) skills among patients, limited skills among physicians, inadequate funding to support telemedicine services, weak legal/policy framework, and lack of dedicated time for telemedicine services.

The results showed that the existence of appropriate communication infrastructure and efforts to promote the infrastructure and increase the investment of companies and organizations in the field of telemedicine can increase the participation of users in the use of telemedicine services.