Understanding Quality Factors of Electronic Health Service in an Emerging Economy

Abstract

In the context of an emerging economy, this research investigates consumers’ experiences with electronic health service systems and their impact on satisfaction and future usage intention. It draws from a user engagement and a value co-creation perspective to examine complex transferring mechanisms and boundary conditions. Survey data from users of online health service systems were collected from an emerging market and subjected to regression analysis to test the hypotheses. Consumers’ experience-based attributions of the electronic system – system and information quality as well as content reliability – have a positive impact on intention to use, which are mediated by satisfaction. Interaction of the consumer with the system moderates the effects of both information system quality and information quality on satisfaction. The indirect effects of information and system quality on intention to use via satisfaction differ based on the consumer interaction. Also, effects of information quality and content reliability on intention to use are moderated by consumers’ perceptions of behavioral control. The study provides further evidence in the link between quality and satisfaction in the use of electronic health services systems in the context of an emerging market. The study focuses on explicating complex associations and focus on mediation and moderation effects only. This deepens our understanding of transferring mechanisms and boundary conditions, and provides more insights into the theory than just investigating the direct effects.