Table 1.

Description and source of key success factors.

	Contextualized dimension (Criteria)	Key success factor	Description	Source
1	Social (C	Emotional maturity of patient$\left(C{1}_1\right)$	Visiting a clinician in person gives psychological strength to many patients. In the case of telemedicine services, it is absent as physical visits do not happen. Hence, the emotional maturity of a patient becomes important in his availing of telemedicine services.	(Chowdhury et al., 2021)
2		Education level and type of disease$\left(C{1}_2\right)$	The education plays a vital role in availing the telemedicine service and overcoming many related issues such as usage of technology and performing preliminary tests at home.	(Al-Samarraie et al., 2020; Armfield et al., 2015; Scott Kruse et al., 2018)
3		Patient age and family background$\left(C{1}_3\right)$	The age of patient, i.e., child, teenager, adult or old; and his family background, such as educated family, urban/rural, rich/poor, etc.	(Oderanti et al., 2021; Scott Kruse et al., 2018)
4		Trust in Telemedicine$\left(C{1}_4\right)$	This shows the trust of a patient and his social circle in telemedicine services. Trust is important for patient's acceptance of telemedicine services and helps in recovery.	(Al-Samarraie et al., 2020; Parimbelli et al., 2018; Velsen et al., 2017)
5		Readability of prescription report$\left(C{1}_5\right)$	The medical examination report can be read by a patient and his caretakers or not.	This study
6		Distance of healthcare facility$\left(C{1}_6\right)$	The patients from rural area must travel miles to reach to a healthcare facility which might exhaust the patient and deteriorate his condition; therefore, in such cases adoption of telemedicine services brings value to them.	(Cobelli et al., 2021; Jansen-Kosterink et al., 2019)
7		Availability of public/private transportation$\left(C{1}_7\right)$	The availability of private or public transportation is required to visit a healthcare facility. In cases like the COVID-19 pandemic, due to transmission of coronavirus, public transport was halted in many countries and private vehicles were not allowed due to lockdown.	(Jansen-Kosterink et al., 2019; Scott Kruse et al., 2018)
8		Cost of transportation$\left(C{1}_8\right)$	The patients who are indifferent to the mode of medicine service they use generally do a cost–benefit analysis. Hence, if the cost of transportation is very high, for example, then visiting a hospital in another area may significantly cost.	(Jansen-Kosterink et al., 2019; Scott Kruse et al., 2018)
9		Digital literacy (e-skills)$\left(C{1}_9\right)$	To avail telemedicine services, e-skills and digital literacy are extremely important. Patients should know how to operate a mobile and laptop and how to download medical examination and prescription reports.	(Al-Samarraie et al., 2020; Chowdhury et al., 2021; Jansen-Kosterink et al., 2019)
10		Availability of basic medical kit at home$\left(C{1}_{10}\right)$	Basic medical equipment, such as thermometers, doppler fetal monitors and sphygmomanometers are required for initial diagnosis, which must be performed at home. Based on these reports and other symptoms, clinicians can easily provide their prescription reports for further treatment.	(Portnoy et al., 2020)
11	Environmental (C2)	Probability of catching COVID-19 infection in visiting hospital$\left(C{2}_1\right)$	If a pandemic like COVID-19 is occurring, then it becomes extremely risky to travel to a hospital for minor things such as fever, headache, and regular check-ups. This may be especially harmful for old age people and pregnant women.	(Hollander and Carr, 2020)
12		Availability of prescribed medicine in medical stores$\left(C{2}_2\right)$	If the drugs prescribed by a clinician during telemedicine consultation are available in nearby pharmacies, then it becomes easy for them to continue with telemedicine services in the future.	This study
13		Weather condition$\left(C{2}_3\right)$	In extreme weather conditions such as heavy rain, extreme hot or chilling cold, patients’ conditions may deteriorate during travel; therefore, telemedicine services can be an easy and comfortable choice for them.	This study
14	Economic (C3)	Affordability$\left(C{3}_1\right)$	For utilizing telemedicine services, smart electronic gadgets and internet are essential, which might be a one-time fixed investment for many poor patients and might not suit their economic condition.	(Al-Samarraie et al., 2020)
15		Availability of bank account and payment apps$\left(C{3}_2\right)$	The payment in telemedicine services is accepted online,therefore patient must have access to a bank account, payment app or internet banking.	This study
16	Technological (C4)	Availability of ICT device with doctor and patient$\left(C{4}_1\right)$	For seeking and giving consultation, both patient and clinician need electronic gadgets such as smartphones and laptops.	(Calton et al., 2020; Scott Kruse et al., 2018)
17		Doctor and Patient's familiarity with ICT devices$\left(C{4}_2\right)$	The clinician and patient must be familiar in using smart ICT devices. Video calls are one of the best considered methods for examining a patient online, as they provide the scope necessary to learning the patient and understanding their psychological condition.	(Calton et al., 2020; Jansen-Kosterink et al., 2019; Laurenza et al., 2018; Scott Kruse et al., 2018)
18		Speed and Availability of internet$\left(C{4}_3\right)$	If internet speed is poor, then patient and clinician interaction cannot be performed well; therefore, having a good internet connection is extremely important for telemedicine services.	(Calton et al., 2020; Chowdhury et al., 2021; Scott Kruse et al., 2018)
19		Digital platform usage for audio and video communication$\left(C{4}_4\right)$	There are various digital platforms for video calling, i.e., Skype, Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft team, and WhatsApp.	(Armfield et al., 2015; Calton et al., 2020)
20		Digital payment methods familiarity$\left(C{4}_5\right)$	Familiarity with the methods of online payment, such as apps, debit and credit cards and net-banking removes the obstacle of taking consultation through telemedicine.	This study
21		Electronic record keeping$\left(C{4}_6\right)$	The electronic record keeping of videos, audios and images aids in referencing the data for patient progress.	(Wani and Malhotra, 2018)
22		Smart e-infrastructure$\left(C{4}_7\right)$	The effective delivery of telemedicine services requires many investment in rather sophisticated and advanced electronic equipment.	(Adenuga et al., 2017; Al-Samarraie et al., 2020; Calton et al., 2020; Lolich et al., 2019)
23		Proficient IT-support staff for medical team and patients$\left(C{4}_8\right)$	The information technology (IT) staff needs to be very proficient at connecting patients with doctors and sorting out various issues during the process.	(Al-Samarraie et al., 2020; Calton et al., 2020; Lolich et al., 2019; Scott Kruse et al., 2018)
24		Online payment acceptance through different modes$\left(C{4}_9\right)$	Rural and elderly patients may have only debit cards, whereas urban patients may have net-banking and payment apps; therefore, it is required that healthcare facilities have a variety of options to accept payment from customers in providing telemedicine services.	This study
25	Legal and Regulatory (C5)	Implementation of Government guidelines$\left(C{5}_1\right)$	Guidelines for standard practices and procedures must be followed during telemedicine service delivery for the benefits of patients.	(Adenuga et al., 2017; Calton et al., 2020)
26		Patient consent and secrecy of diagnosis report$\left(C{5}_2\right)$	The consent of a patient and his diagnosis report shall be kept confidential by healthcare facility.	(Kaplan, 2020)
27		Strict penalty mechanism for medical malpractice$\left(C{5}_3\right)$	Healthcare facility must also formulate rules and regulations for strict penalties on misusing of any type of content, including audio, video, and images.	(Al-Samarraie et al., 2020)
28	Ethical (C6)	Patient data security and privacy of conversation$\left(C{6}_1\right)$	The safety and security of patient data encourages patients to use telemedicine consultation from a healthcare facility.	(Al-Samarraie et al., 2020; Calton et al., 2020; Gu et al., 2019; Jansen-Kosterink et al., 2019; Lolich et al., 2019)
29		Confidentiality of Patient history and treatment follow up$\left(C{6}_2\right)$	The confidentiality of patient history is important as they may have a disease which might make then self- conscious. Similarly, the follow up should be performed in a very confidential manner by well-trained and experienced medical staff.	(Chowdhury et al., 2021; Jansen-Kosterink et al., 2019)
30	Organizational (C7)	Willingness/Resistance to change$\left(C{7}_1\right)$	Telemedicine is new to patients and clinicians both, especially in developing nations; therefore, significant efforts and zeal are needed to accept this new way of receiving and providing healthcare services.	(Adenuga et al., 2017; Laurenza et al., 2018; Lolich et al., 2019; Pan et al., 2019; Rho et al., 2014; Scott Kruse et al., 2018; Xue et al., 2015)
31		Location of healthcare facility$\left(C{7}_2\right)$	If a healthcare facility is in a heavy traffic area and consumes lots of energy and time, then patient may prefer to adopt telemedicine mode rather than using physical visits.	This study
32		Capacity of patient waiting area$\left(C{7}_3\right)$	The availability of less seating capacity and walking area also discourages patients from visiting a healthcare facility and encourages the use of telemedicine services.	(Baudier et al., 2021)
33		Encouraging patients for telemedicine$\left(C{7}_4\right)$	Healthcare facilities can encourage patients by reducing their consultation fees and appreciating by other means as well. During COVID-19, less patient visits to healthcare facilities helps both parties in keeping safe and stopping the transmission of the deadly virus.	(Chowdhury et al., 2021; Hollander and Carr, 2020; Portnoy et al., 2020)
34		Incentives to clinicians and admin$\left(C{7}_5\right)$	In order to increase clinicians’ interest and encourage them to learn this novel way of providing consultation through an online medium, they may be incentivized by healthcare facilities for adopting the change and flexi hours of consultation.	(Adenuga et al., 2017; Lolich et al., 2019; Rho et al., 2014)
35		Overall cost reduction in healthcare operations$\left(C{7}_6\right)$	Fewer visits to healthcare facilities puts less burden on its physical resources. Additionally, clinicians can increase their consultation time for providing telemedicine services to patients.	(Adenuga et al., 2017; Portnoy et al., 2020)
36		Number of doctors and nursing staff available for patient care in hospital$\left(C{7}_7\right)$	A top-down thrust works effectively for adopting telemedicine services in a healthcare facility where the quality of clinicians is good, but there are fewer of them. Hence, delivering telemedicine services may help in gathering more patients.	(Adenuga et al., 2017; Hollander and Carr, 2020)
37		Quality care$\left(C{7}_8\right)$	The quality of care extended by a healthcare facility and its clinicians is a very important factor for positively adopting and sustaining telemedicine services by a patient.	(Kaplan, 2020; Lolich et al., 2019; Senot et al., 2016)