Who Stays Digital? Patient-Level Predictors of Sustained Telehealth Use.

BACKGROUND

Telehealth use surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and plateaued in recent years, yet factors influencing sustained use among patients remain underexplored. This study examines sociodemographic, health, digital literacy, and prior telemedicine experience related predictors of willingness to continue telehealth use in a postpandemic population of the United States United States.

METHODS

Data from 2,423 participants in the 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey were analyzed, focusing on respondents with prior telehealth experience. Ordinal logistic regression was employed to identify predictors of willingness to continue telehealth use. Predictors included sociodemographic factors, health conditions, digital literacy, and prior telehealth experiences.

RESULTS

Among respondents, 59.1% (n = 1,432) were very willing and 30.99% (n = 751) somewhat willing to continue telehealth use. Significant predictors included age (35-49: OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.14-3.96, p = 0.019; 50-64: OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.06-4.85, p = 0.036; 65-74: OR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.08-7.65, p = 0.035), digital literacy (health information search skills: OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.19-2.34, p = 0.004), convenience (OR = 3.12, 95% CI: 2.04-4.77, p < 0.001), perceived telecare quality (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.33-2.42, p < 0.001), and recommendation likelihood (OR = 3.67, 95% CI: 2.44-5.50, p < 0.001). Lower willingness was observed among males (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.35-0.92, p = 0.023), Non-Hispanic blacks (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.20-0.80, p = 0.010), audio-only visits (OR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.40-0.89, p = 0.05) and those used telehealth for rehabilitation/therapy purposes.

CONCLUSION

This study uniquely highlights strong postpandemic telehealth willingness among U.S. adults, driven by age, digital literacy, and positive experiences, with novel insights into racial and gender disparities and the unsuitability of telehealth for rehabilitation. These findings have important implications for health policy makers and administrators to design targeted interventions to enhance digital access and video-based care quality to sustain telehealth use.