Promoting the social implementation of digital and mobile health: effects of regulation on user and non-user behavior in East Asia

This study conducted policy and regulation analyses and user acceptance surveys in three East Asian countries with developed telecommunication infrastructure (China, South Korea, and Japan) to determine the most effective way to implement mobile health (mHealth). Regional differences in users’ emphasis on the purpose of mHealth, including medical information referral or health management, appear to be influenced by regional regulation, thus making regulation analysis important when considering mHealth penetration strategies. Potential mHealth users have high expectations for medical information and correspondence, which is crucial for the pharmaceutical industry in terms of providing information and retaining patients. Furthermore, potential users are willing to use the system medically, which is beneficial to the pharmaceutical industry when introducing mHealth and prescriptions in combination.