Click for Care, Care for Planet: Sustainable Marketing Drivers of Telemedicine Adoption.

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines telemedicine as a sustainable service innovation that combines health, environmental and convenience benefits. It explores how these perceived benefits influence attitudes and intentions to use telemedicine and how trust in the provider shapes this relationship.

Design/methodology: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 400 adults who had used or planned to use telemedicine. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling with 5,000 bootstraps.

Findings: Perceived environmental (β = 0.318, p < 0.001), health (β = 0.267, p < 0.001) and convenience benefits (β = 0.231, p < 0.001) all positively affected attitudes toward telemedicine. Attitude, in turn, predicted behavioral intention (β = 0.412, p < 0.001). Trust in provider strengthened the link between attitude and intention (β = 0.073, p = 0.002). The model explained 69% of variance in attitude and 74% in intention (R ² = 0.69; R ² = 0.74).

Practical implications: Results show that emphasizing both health and environmental value can enhance public acceptance of telemedicine.

Originality/value: By integrating sustainable marketing logic with the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study highlights telemedicine's role in advancing eco-efficient, patient-centered health care adoption.