TY  - JOUR
AU  - Wu, Tzu-Chi
AU  - Ho, Chien-Ta
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/2/3
TI  - Reconstructing Risk Dimensions in Telemedicine: Investigating Technology Adoption and Barriers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Taiwan
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e53306
VL  - 27
KW  - telemedicine
KW  - perceived risk
KW  - technology acceptance model
KW  - risk
KW  - performance risk
AB  - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted health care toward virtual and online models, impacting both users and providers. Numerous user concerns and perceived risks related to telemedicine are continually evolving and adjusting in response to the pandemic. In many countries, there has been a substantial increase in the use of virtual health care visits, which offers a unique opportunity for researchers to explore these user concerns. Objective: This study aimed to first reconstruct the risk dimensions associated with telemedicine, then identify the risk factors affecting users’ adoption, and finally propose effective solutions to mitigate these concerns. By integrating the newly constructed perceived risk with the technology acceptance model (TAM), we scrutinized various dimensions of perceived risk and their influence on users’ perceptions of ease of use, perceived usefulness, and use intention (UI). Methods: Our target population consists of adults aged ≥18 years who have used or may use telemedicine services, recruited through an anonymous, voluntary, open, web-based survey. We collected responses and used part of them to reconstruct risk dimensions using exploratory factor analysis. Subsequently, we analyzed the intricate relationship between perceived risk, the TAM, and the acceptance of telemedicine using structural equation modeling with another part of the responses. Results: A total of 1600 valid responses were collected. Eight distinct risk dimensions were reconstructed, revealing a substantial negative impact of performance risk on UI. The psychological and social risk was the strongest barrier to the ease of using telemedicine. Time risk, provider risk, and privacy risk were not statistically significant to the TAM. The resulting model elucidates a remarkable 66% variance in UI for telemedicine services. Conclusions: This study substantially advances the field of telemedicine research by reconstructing and redefining 8 risk dimensions and confirming the statistical significance of 5 perceived risks on the adoption of telemedicine services. These insights are poised to facilitate the promotion and enhancement of telemedicine services in the health care sector. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e53306
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/53306
DO  - 10.2196/53306
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/53306
ER  -