Table 4.

Verbatim quotes supporting the main dimensions by patients and health care professionals.

Dimensions		Patient	Health care professional
Dimension 1: Distance to outpatient care
	Positive	…During the pandemic, being able to have online consultations reduced a lot of my stress. I heard many of my friends around me were infected while at hospital. [Female, 48 years old]	…Telemedicine has reduced a lot of transport-related issues. Through online connections, we can access all of the patient’s data and make more accurate assessments. [HCPa #12]
	Negative	…I live in a very rural area where there are no taxis, so every time I see a doctor, I have to take four different buses. The journey alone takes me over three hours, so I avoid seeing a doctor if I can help it. [Female, 64 years old]	…To be honest, not every patient is suitable for telemedicine. For example, older patients may have difficulty understanding what I ask them to do. Also, some patients’ conditions cannot be determined solely by questioning and require examination using medical instruments and devices, so it is difficult for me to make a diagnosis without a proper examination. [HCP #8]
Dimension 2: Medical efficiency
	Positive	…Because I get breathless when I walk, I try not to go out if I don’t have to. I’m also afraid of falling when I go out, and I don’t want to bother my children. So if I can see a doctor through a computer, I prefer that. [Male, 66 years old]	…The biggest advantage of telehealth is saving a lot of time and manpower. Of course, this refers to medical work that is more repetitive and lower risk. But I hope that in the future, online systems will have warning functions that can quickly let me know which patient has an issue that needs special attention. [HCP #3]
	Negative	…I would rather see a real doctor. Just talking on the phone doesn’t give me a feeling that I’ve really seen a doctor. [Female, 72 years old]	…To be honest, although the internet is convenient, I feel that its effectiveness is sometimes limited. Perhaps respiratory therapy needs to be divided into stages, and not every stage is suitable for being done at home. It may need to be classified/graded. [HCP #17]
Dimension 3: Internet connectivity and equipment
	Positive	…Every time I go out to see a doctor, I’m always in a rush and get so nervous that I forget to ask the doctor any questions. By seeing the doctor through a computer, I have more time to chat with the doctor. [Female, 70 years old]	…The internet connection is very convenient. As long as the health insurance card is inserted, all the patient’s information can be accessed. Telehealth has not only changed a patient’s medical treatment mode but also prevented many regional hospitals from closing down. [HCP #11]
	Negative	…To be honest, I don’t really understand the internet. If no one helps me set it up, I won’t know how to see a doctor online. And if the doctor doesn’t see me, how will they know what’s wrong with me? [Male, 76 years old]	…Sometimes, the reason why I cannot wait for a patient is because the foreign caregiver has not set up the computer properly. When communicating with the patient through the computer, sometimes the elderly cannot understand, and it is also difficult to communicate with the caregiver. If I were there in person, I could still teach them how to do it. [HCP #8]
Dimension 4: Space for diagnosis and treatment
	Positive	…I am old and unable to move around easily. It would be best for me to see the doctor at home. [Male, 86 years old]	…A patient receiving online medical care at home will require much less space for us, such as waiting rooms and registration areas. It will also significantly reduce the demand and burden on staff. [HCP #1]
	Negative	…There are many things that I cannot do at home. I need to have my blood pressure measured, but there is no one to help me at home. Also, I like to chat with people, but at home, there’s only me. [Female, 70 years old]	…Online medical care now is quite good, with many complete functions such as registration, appointment progress, and electronic medical records. However, I personally have reservations about having many medical records stored in the cloud, as there is no absolute security. Also, if a patient falls at home, how to allocate responsibility and the risks involved are also concerns. [HCP #14]

^aHCP: health care professional.