Determinants of WeChat Official Account Adoption as Digital Healthcare Platform among Users in Teaching Hospital

Purpose-This study aims to explore the factors influencing patients' adoption of the WeChat Official Account as digital healthcare platform in the context of a hospital in Guilin, China. Given the transformative role of social media technology in the modern Internet era, understanding these factors is crucial for optimizing digital health communication strategies and enhancing hospital branding.Design\/Methodology\/Approach-To achieve this objective, the study employed correlational study applying multiple regression analysis. The analysis focused on key variables such as trust in healthcare providers, perceived brand value, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and interaction with other users.Findings-The results revealed that trust in healthcare providers, perceived brand value, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use are significant factors influencing users' adoption of the WeChat Official Account as a digital health communication platform. However, interaction with other users was found to be an insignificant determinant.Research Limitations\/Implications-While the study offers meaningful insights, it is limited to a single hospital in Guilin, China, and may not be generalizable to other regions or healthcare settings. Future research could expand the scope to include multiple hospitals or different digital platforms. The findings, however, highlight the importance of building trust, enhancing brand value, and improving user experience in digital health platform, which can guide the development of more effective strategies.Social Implications-The study underscores the potential of WeChat Official Account as digital media platform in transforming health communication by identifying key factors that drive the adoption of digital health platform.

研究目的：本研究旨在探索中国桂林某医院情境下，患者采纳微信公众号（WeChat Official Account）作为数字医疗平台的影响因素。鉴于社交媒体技术在现代互联网时代的变革性作用，明晰此类影响因素对于优化数字健康传播策略、提升医院品牌形象至关重要。
研究设计与方法：为达成该研究目标，本研究采用相关研究范式，运用多元回归分析（multiple regression analysis）方法。分析聚焦于多类核心变量，包括对医疗服务提供者的信任、感知品牌价值（perceived brand value）、感知有用性（perceived usefulness）、感知易用性（perceived ease of use）以及用户间互动（interaction with other users）。
研究结果：结果显示，对医疗服务提供者的信任、感知品牌价值、感知有用性以及感知易用性，是影响用户采纳微信公众号作为数字健康传播平台的显著因素；但用户间互动并未被证实为显著的决定因素。
研究局限与启示：尽管本研究提供了富有价值的学术洞见，但仅局限于中国桂林的单一家医院，其研究结论或无法推广至其他地区或医疗场景。未来研究可拓展研究范围，纳入多家医院或不同类型的数字平台。不过本研究结果凸显了在数字医疗平台建设中，构建信任、提升品牌价值以及优化用户体验的重要性，可为制定更高效的运营与传播策略提供切实指导。
社会启示：本研究通过识别驱动数字医疗平台采纳的核心因素，强调了微信公众号作为数字媒体平台在重塑健康传播模式方面的潜力。