How Digital Health Literacy Affects Willingness to Adopt Telemedicine in an Emerging Country: The Case of Thailand

This study, positioned within the interdisciplinary fields of health informatics, technology acceptance, and digital health, aims to (1) explore digital health literacy (technophobia and eHealth readiness) influencing the adoption of telemedicine in emerging markets by extending a well-known technology acceptance model (TAM), and (2) examine the moderating effect of trustworthiness on telemedicine adoption in emerging markets. A quantitative approach was employed using a self-administered questionnaire as the research tool. The survey was conducted in Thailand, representing an emerging market context. Based on 281 samples of Thai respondents, the results reveal that eHealth readiness significantly positively impacts perceived ease of use. Additionally, perceived usefulness was a key driver of telemedicine adoption in emerging markets. Likewise, technophobia shows a significant negative impact on perceived ease of use but does not show a significant negative effect on perceived usefulness. The results of moderation analysis show that trustworthiness partially moderates the relationship between perceived ease of use and telemedicine adoption, such that higher levels of trustworthiness strengthen the positive impact of perceived ease of use on telemedicine adoption. These findings indicate that enhancing eHealth readiness and maintaining the ease of use of telemedicine platforms are critical strategies for promoting telemedicine adoption in emerging markets while technophobia seems to be a significant barrier that deters the perception of ease of use. This research offers useful insights for policymakers and healthcare practitioners seeking to effectively adopt telemedicine in various socio-economic contexts.