Modeling the Acceptance and Use of Electronic Medical Records from Patients’ Point of View: Evidence from Saudi Arabia
The employment of IT in healthcare reflects a need to meet the increasing demands of patients and to upgrade the quality and productivity of the provided services. However, the literature demonstrates many failures in systems and IT technology implementation in the context of healthcare. One of the reasons behind these failures is users’ resistance to accept such new technology. The ministry of health in Saudi Arabia has prioritized the embracing of new technologies that could level up the healthcare service, such as the adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems. On the other hand, studies that address the acceptance and use of hospital information systems and EMRs in Saudi Arabia from patients’ points of view are scarce. The aim of this study was to explore patients’ acceptance of an EMR system by testing a proposed theoretical model adapted from the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT).
An online questionnaire was used where questions were based on the proposed model constructs (facilitating conditions, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, and behavioral intention). One hundred sixteen patients responded to the questionnaire. The model was then tested using the structural equation modeling method to identify the factors that affect patients’ intention to use the online services of the EMR.
The analysis of the research model suggested that (1) facilitating conditions that involved patients’ knowledge, skills, and the provided support by the hospital directly influenced the degree of perceived ease of use (PEOU) of the system. (2) PEOU directly affected the EMR’s perceived usefulness (PU). (3) PU directly affected patients’ attitudes (ATT) toward using the EMR. (4) A positive effect is found between ATT and the behavioral intention to use EMR.
The study results have implications for healthcare IT acceptance research and efforts in Saudi Arabia, as to date patients’ perspectives have received little attention. The research also makes a theoretical contribution as it validated the proposed model, which integrated constructs from TAM and UTAUT.
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Posted 08 Jul, 2020
On 21 Oct, 2020
Received 05 Sep, 2020
On 05 Aug, 2020
Received 05 Aug, 2020
On 03 Aug, 2020
Invitations sent on 14 Jul, 2020
On 19 Jun, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
Modeling the Acceptance and Use of Electronic Medical Records from Patients’ Point of View: Evidence from Saudi Arabia
Posted 08 Jul, 2020
On 21 Oct, 2020
Received 05 Sep, 2020
On 05 Aug, 2020
Received 05 Aug, 2020
On 03 Aug, 2020
Invitations sent on 14 Jul, 2020
On 19 Jun, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
The employment of IT in healthcare reflects a need to meet the increasing demands of patients and to upgrade the quality and productivity of the provided services. However, the literature demonstrates many failures in systems and IT technology implementation in the context of healthcare. One of the reasons behind these failures is users’ resistance to accept such new technology. The ministry of health in Saudi Arabia has prioritized the embracing of new technologies that could level up the healthcare service, such as the adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems. On the other hand, studies that address the acceptance and use of hospital information systems and EMRs in Saudi Arabia from patients’ points of view are scarce. The aim of this study was to explore patients’ acceptance of an EMR system by testing a proposed theoretical model adapted from the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT).
An online questionnaire was used where questions were based on the proposed model constructs (facilitating conditions, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, and behavioral intention). One hundred sixteen patients responded to the questionnaire. The model was then tested using the structural equation modeling method to identify the factors that affect patients’ intention to use the online services of the EMR.
The analysis of the research model suggested that (1) facilitating conditions that involved patients’ knowledge, skills, and the provided support by the hospital directly influenced the degree of perceived ease of use (PEOU) of the system. (2) PEOU directly affected the EMR’s perceived usefulness (PU). (3) PU directly affected patients’ attitudes (ATT) toward using the EMR. (4) A positive effect is found between ATT and the behavioral intention to use EMR.
The study results have implications for healthcare IT acceptance research and efforts in Saudi Arabia, as to date patients’ perspectives have received little attention. The research also makes a theoretical contribution as it validated the proposed model, which integrated constructs from TAM and UTAUT.
Figure 1
Figure 2