REGIONAL SPECIFICITIES AND DETERMINANTS OF RURAL POPULATION'S USE OF ELECTRONIC HEALTHCARE SERVICES

Abstract

Based on data from the Federal Statistical Survey on the Use of Information Technologies by the Population (Rosstat) for 2024 across 82 regions of the Russian Federation, the proportions of the rural population using the Internet for the following purposes were calculated: making doctor's appointments, searching for health-related information, and purchasing medical goods and services. The study established the existence of significant regional differentiation in the involvement of the rural population in the process of healthcare digitalization, which necessitates diverse approaches to ensuring equal accessibility to digital medical services for all. A classification of the Russian regions based on the activity of the rural population in using electronic healthcare services was developed. Modeling of the dependence of typological characteristics on a number of objective and subjective factors across regional groups was performed. The main factors limiting the activity of the rural population in using "digital" healthcare are access to the Internet in the household, digital literacy, and awareness of the possibilities of e-healthcare.