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

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.