BACKGROUND
The rapidly-increasing numbers representing China’s ageing population necessarily results in increased medical expenditure following the needs of elderly people, particularly patients with chronic diseases. However, China’s healthcare system is struggling with this as a major issue: famous public hospitals are overcrowded, while community and rural hospitals find it difficult to attract enough patients.
OBJECTIVE
To examine how and whether the application of eHealth technologies in medical field influences chronically ill patients’ choice of same hospital on next visit.
METHODS
From July to October 2016, we conducted a survey in nine hospitals in Northern China. This study used regression analysis to compare the difference between high and low levels of application of eHealth technologies in the medical field. We constructed a hospital choice model in order to assist with this. According to the model, we analysed the relationship between relevant, influential factors and the chronically-ill patient’s choice of same hospital on next visit.
RESULTS
Empirical findings suggest that the chronically-ill patient’s choice of hospital on next visit is positively affected by the treatment level (β= 0.682, P < 0.001) and level of hospital convenience (β= 0.311, P < 0.001), and negatively affected by the medical costs (β= -0.124, P < 0.001). Additionally, Our findings suggest that the application of eHealth technologies in the medical field can significantly enhance the positive correlation between level of hospital convenience and the chronically-ill patients’ choice of same hospital on next visit (β= 0.269, P < 0.001), as well as the negative correlation between medical costs incurred and the chronically-ill patients’ choice of same hospital on next visit (β= -0.135, P < 0.001) . By contrast, the application of eHealth technologies weakens the positive correlation between the hospital’s treatment level and chronically-ill patients’ choice of same hospital on next visit (β= -0.241, P < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
The introduction of the eHealth technologies significantly closes the gap between levels of treatment provided by differing hospitals, while prompting hospital to improve the level of convenience for patients with chronic disease, as well as reducing any medical expense incurred.
CLINICALTRIAL
This study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The reference number is TJUTCM-EC20160005.