The Effect of Media Richness on the Stability of Physician-Patient Relationships on E-Consultation Platforms

Abstract

Incorporating media richness theory, social presence theory, and apparatgeist theory, the authors used multiple linear regression to explore the effect of media richness on the stability of physician-patient relationships and the moderating effect of disease complexity and response timeliness on the relationship between media richness and relationship stability. The results showed that media richness had a positive effect on the stability of physician-patient relationships. Additionally, both disease complexity and response timeliness positively affect the relationship between media richness and the stability of physician-patient relationships. This research contributes to the literature concerning media selection, e-consultation platforms, and physician-patient relationships; and it provides practical guidance for online doctor teams on how to select appropriate media communication forms for patient consultations in different situations.