Spatiotemporal characteristics of public attention to e-health services in China and supply-demand spillover effects

With the rapid advancement of digital transformation, e-health services have emerged as an effective means to enhance healthcare equity. However, the development of e-health services in China still faces numerous challenges. To promote its further advancement, understanding the characteristics of public attention to e-health services is crucial. This study aims to investigate the spatiotemporal variation characteristics and supply-demand determinants of public attention to e-health services in China, thereby assessing the effectiveness of China’s e-health service initiatives and formulating targeted policies to facilitate its sustainable development. By collecting data on public attention to e-health services across 31 provinces in China from 2014 to 2021, using the Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, Markov chain, and spatial Durbin model, the public attention to e-health services across different regions was measured. The results indicate that: (1) Significant spatial disparities in public attention to e-health services exist across China, although the overall disparity is decreasing, with inter-regional differences being the primary contributor; (2) Public attention to e-health services in China exhibits persistent spatial imbalance and a gradient effect, with varying degrees of imbalance observed both between regions and among provinces within each region; (3) Regarding dynamic evolution patterns, the state of public attention to e-health services to be stable in the short term; (4) In terms of influencing factors, supply-side and demand-side factors exert distinct impacts on public attention to e-health services, and due to differing development priorities concerning economic growth and livelihood improvement, these factors exhibit heterogeneous spillover effects across the eastern, central, and western regions. Therefore, this study recommends that regional governments strengthen foundational infrastructure, optimize the e-health development ecosystem, and implement differentiated construction strategies to narrow the gap in healthcare resource allocation and advance regional health equity in e-health services.