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The Determinants of Telehealth Provision: Empirical Evidence from OECD Countries

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  • Fuhmei Wang

    (Department of Economics, College of Social Science, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
    Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan)

  • Jung-Der Wang

    (Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
    Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 704, Taiwan)

Abstract

Health services provided through the telecommunications system aim to improve the population’s health and well-being. This research aims to explore what digital, economic, and health factors are associated with the provision of telehealth services, especially in ageing communities. Applying Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries’ experiences, this research tries to construct a logistic regression model between adopting a telehealth system or not, a binary outcome variable, and a group of potentially explanatory variables. Estimation results showed that there were thresholds for telehealth provision: The demand for telehealth service usually began when the provision of telecommunication accessibility reached 50%, the proportion of elders exceeded 10%, or the proportion of health spending occupied more than 3–5% of the gross domestic product (GDP); the slope of each variable seemed to correspond with an increase in demand for such a provision. A growing number of individuals in OECD countries are now readily served by telehealth systems under the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings could be regarded as a model for other countries for implementing the necessary infrastructure early on when any of these parameters reaches its threshold. Moreover, telehealth applied in developing countries could be elevated for wider populations to access basic health services and for the remote delivery of health care. A rational decision could be made to appropriately use additional resources in telehealth provision. With accessible e-health services, the population’s health could be improved, which in turn would possibly increase productivity and social welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Fuhmei Wang & Jung-Der Wang, 2021. "The Determinants of Telehealth Provision: Empirical Evidence from OECD Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-13, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:16:p:8288-:d:608817
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Daniel Badell & Jesica de Armas & Albert Julià, 2022. "Impact of Socioeconomic Environment on Home Social Care Service Demand and Dependent Users," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-21, February.
    2. Fuhmei Wang & Jung-Der Wang, 2022. "Estimating US Earnings Loss Associated with COVID-19 Based on Human Capital Calculation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-10, January.
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