Internet use and satisfaction with overall medical services among older adults in China: Counterfactual estimation based on propensity score matching

IF 3.4 3区医学 Q1 HEALTH POLICY & SERVICES

Health Policy and Technology Pub Date : 2025-02-01 DOI:10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100954

Lei Wu, Feng Zhao, Cherong Chen

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

In the context of China's "Internet Plus Healthcare" reform, this study aims to test whether the use of the Internet has improved older adults’ satisfaction with overall medical services (SMS), and analyze the effectiveness of the reform in the older population.

Methods

Based on the cross-sectional data from the China Family Panel Studies in 2020, propensity score matching (PSM) models were employed to examine the relationship between Internet use and SMS of Chinese older adults (4661 observations aged 60 and above), and ordinary least square (OLS) regression models were adopted to explore the mediating role of self-rated health (SH) in this relationship.

Results

Internet use was associated with a decline in SMS among older adults in China, with Internet users’ SMS being about 18 % lower than non-users. However, we found no evidence for SH mediating the relationship between Internet use and SMS, which is contrary to our expectation.

Conclusions

Internet use has led to lower levels of SMS among Chinese older adults. In the future, the government needs to further promote the achievements of the “Internet Plus Healthcare” reform to benefit senior citizens more equitably and ultimately improve their SMS.

Public interest summary

This research showed that Internet use has led to a decrease in satisfaction with overall medical services (SMS) among older adults in China. This result could assist decision-makers in better understanding the healthcare reform achievement and how to further expand the effectiveness of health governance.

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来源期刊

Health Policy and Technology Medicine-Health Policy

CiteScore

9.20

自引率

3.30%

发文量

审稿时长

88 days

期刊介绍： Health Policy and Technology (HPT), is the official journal of the Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine (FPM), a cross-disciplinary journal, which focuses on past, present and future health policy and the role of technology in clinical and non-clinical national and international health environments. HPT provides a further excellent way for the FPM to continue to make important national and international contributions to development of policy and practice within medicine and related disciplines. The aim of HPT is to publish relevant, timely and accessible articles and commentaries to support policy-makers, health professionals, health technology providers, patient groups and academia interested in health policy and technology. Topics covered by HPT will include: - Health technology, including drug discovery, diagnostics, medicines, devices, therapeutic delivery and eHealth systems - Cross-national comparisons on health policy using evidence-based approaches - National studies on health policy to determine the outcomes of technology-driven initiatives - Cross-border eHealth including health tourism - The digital divide in mobility, access and affordability of healthcare - Health technology assessment (HTA) methods and tools for evaluating the effectiveness of clinical and non-clinical health technologies - Health and eHealth indicators and benchmarks (measure/metrics) for understanding the adoption and diffusion of health technologies - Health and eHealth models and frameworks to support policy-makers and other stakeholders in decision-making - Stakeholder engagement with health technologies (clinical and patient/citizen buy-in) - Regulation and health economics