OBJECTIVES: Heart failure (HF) significantly impacts global healthcare. Remote monitoring, which allows for monitoring of patients in the home setting, has shown potential in improving HF management and reducing costs. This study examines factors influencing the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for telemonitoring among HF patients in The Netherlands, with focus on perceived usefulness, ease of use, social influence, and trust as predictors of perceived value and WTP.

METHODS: A survey was conducted in a group of 70 HF patients being monitored from a peripheral hospital. The survey explored how perceived usefulness, ease of use, social influence, and trust affected perceived value and WTP, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT).

RESULTS: Perceived usefulness, ease of use, social influence, and trust did not significantly predict WTP. However, the analysis revealed a very strong positive significant correlation (0.97) between perceived value and WTP. Despite high perceived value and satisfaction with remote monitoring, patients generally exhibited low WTP. This discrepancy suggests that the Dutch healthcare system focus on universal access and minimal financial burden influences patient expectations, resulting in low WTP for remote monitoring. A regression analysis showed that the regression of the mediator perceived value on the dependent variable WTP, while controlling for overall trust, was significant (p = <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the importance of considering perceived value and the healthcare system context when evaluating patient WTP for remote monitoring. Further research should focus on trust and ease of use related to telemonitoring and alternative patient outcomes based payment models This knowledge is crucial for promoting adoption and sustainable financing of telemonitoring services to meet patient needs and ensure system sustainability.