Sociodemographic Determinants of Telemedicine Uptake Among Adults in the United States

INTRODUCTION: Recent technological advancements have made telemedicine a potent alternative to in-person hospital care. However, there are limited nationwide population-based estimates of the utilization of telemedicine, and the adoption of these innovative interventions may vary among sociodemographic groups. We conducted a nationally representative study to determine the rate of telemedicine use and to identify the sociodemographic factors associated with usage in the United States. METHODS: This study included 7797 respondents aged 20 years and above from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The survey period for the data used was August 2021 to August 2023. Statistical analysis included frequency distribution and the Rao-Scott chi-square test to determine factors associated with telemedicine use. Factors associated with telemedicine use at a statistical significance level of 0.05 were further modeled using bivariate and multivariate survey logistic regression. RESULTS: The use of telemedicine among adults was 2694 (32.46%), with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 31.22% to 33.71%. The factors associated with increased odds of telemedicine use were being female (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.29-1.67), having a college education or associate degree (AOR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.34-1.86), having higher educational attainment (AOR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.70-2.39), and having poor general health (AOR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.41-1.95). The factors associated with reduced odds of telemedicine use were being uninsured (AOR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.27-0.51) and not having a health facility that an individual usually visits (AOR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.33-0.54). CONCLUSION: Although telemedicine use appears to have declined slightly since the pandemic peak, the prevalence reported in this study confirms that telemedicine remains a sustained and routine component of healthcare delivery even in the post-pandemic era. The development of public health policies and interventions may focus on promoting usage among males and improving the convenience of use among individuals with low digital literacy.