Factors influencing loyalty to online health consultation platform: a cross-strait cultural perspective

BACKGROUND: The geographical, cultural, and linguistic proximity between Taiwan and Mainland China has facilitated rapid growth of cross-strait interactions. Both countries have developed online health consultation platforms on the Internet for the public to access healthcare related information. This study examines factors that influence loyalty to a specific online health consultation platform (OHCP) from a cross-strait perspective. METHODS: Based on the Expectation Confirmation Theory and the combined Trust, Perceived Health Risks and Culture, we examine factors that influence loyalty to OHCPs among cross-strait users by investigating the roles of trust, perceived health risks, and culture. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey. RESULTS: The research models used provide a high-power explanation of loyalty to OHCPs. Results generally align with those of previous studies, with the exception of the relationships between Perceived Health Risks and Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Usefulness and Loyalty, Confirmation and Satisfaction, and Trust and Loyalty. In other words, culture may have moderated these relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Findings can help promote OHCPs among cross-strait users to make things easier for patients, and further reduce the load on the emergency department, especially in view of the still ongoing issues related to global outbreak of Coronavirus disease by facilitating early detection of potential cases. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-023-09518-0.