Willingness to participate in telehealth visits among US adults: Findings from the 2024 health information national trends survey.

OBJECTIVE

Telehealth visits offer flexibility and convenience, and remain an important care delivery option. Understanding patient willingness to engage in telehealth is critical for equitable expansion of these services.

METHODS

Secondary analysis of the 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 7 completed by US adults. Participants were asked, "How willing are you to do a telehealth visit in the future if one is offered to you?" We compared "very willing" vs. all other levels of willingness. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models assessed the association between telehealth visit willingness and various patient characteristics. After excluding participants with missing data for any study variable, 5,759 participants were included in analyses. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals are reported.

RESULTS

In this sample, 39% were very willing to do a telehealth visit. Higher odds of being very willing to do a telehealth visit were found in those who were: 35-49 years old (vs. 18-34), very confident in filling out medical forms (vs. not), had anxiety or depression (vs. not), or had a prior telehealth visit. Participants who were 75 years or older (vs. 18-34), who agreed that learning new technology is frustrating (vs. disagreed), or who had diabetes (vs. not) had lower odds of being very willing to do a telehealth visit.

CONCLUSION

Although most participants were not "very willing" to do a telehealth visit, certain subgroups, including those with anxiety or depression, reported greater willingness. Efforts to improve platform usability and provide digital support may help increase participation among those less willing.