Willingness to Pay for Telemedicine Services Among Uninsured Individuals in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Ziyad S Almalki,1 Abdullah M Alrashdi,1 Dalal E AlHuzaimi,2 Joud O Alotaibi,2 Malek M Alqahtani,1 Ruba D Alzahrani,2 Shahad A Alajmi,2 Rami R AlOsaimi,2 Salman M Majrashi,1 Abdullah K Alahmari,1 Ahmed M Alshehri,1 Abdulaziz I Alzarea,3 Mohammad Tarique Imam,1 Areej A Alshlowi2 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia; 2College of Pharmacy, Almaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka, Aljouf, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Ziyad S Almalki, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966 11 588 6059, Email [email protected]: This study aimed to explore the Willingness To Pay (WTP) of uninsured individuals in Saudi Arabia and the factors influencing their decisions regarding telemedicine services.Patients and Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey design and convenience sampling to gather data from respondents aged 18 years or older who had visited healthcare facilities at least once in the past year and were uninsured. WTP was determined using the contingent valuation method, and a two-part regression model was applied to analyze the factors influencing WTP.Results: The study included 4232 participants and discovered that approximately 17.41% were willing to pay for telemedicine services. Those aged 60 and older, employed in the government or private sector, in higher socioeconomic quintiles, and experiencing chronic health issues showed a positive association with their WTP value. Conversely, individuals aged between 30 and 44 years, married, and unemployed exhibited a negative association with a lower WTP value.Conclusion: The findings indicate that most respondents hesitated to pay for telemedicine services, with a significant influence from sociodemographic characteristics, underscoring the need to promote telemedicine use among underserved populations and address health disparities.Keywords: healthcare, sociodemographic, questionnaire, contingent valuation method