Trust in Telemedicine application adoption: Extending the UTAUT model

Abstract

The adoption of telemedicine applications has garnered increasing scholarly attention, particularly due to the sensitive nature of personal health data and the pivotal role of trust in digital healthcare environments. Grounded in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study examines the antecedents and outcomes of trust in the context of telemedicine app acceptance. Utilizing survey data collected from 364 users, the findings reveal that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence exert significant positive effects on trust, which, in turn, significantly influences users’ behavioral intention to use telemedicine applications. Mediation analysis further demonstrates that trust serves as a crucial intervening mechanism linking key UTAUT constructs to usage intention, underscoring its theoretical and practical relevance. This research contributes to the literature on technology acceptance by extending the UTAUT model to explicitly incorporate trust as a central construct in the healthcare domain. The findings provide actionable guidance for policymakers and healthcare service providers, emphasizing the need to design digital health platforms that foster user trust through transparent data practices, intuitive interfaces, and socially endorsed adoption strategies. By highlighting trust’s mediating role, this study informs the development of user-centered service designs and effective digital healthcare policies aimed at enhancing telemedicine adoption, especially in contexts where patient data security and service credibility are paramount.