DOI: 10.4018/IJHISI.2016010104
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International Journal of Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics
Volume 11 • Issue 1 • January-March 2016
Factors Infuencing Physicians’ Acceptance
of e-Health in Developing Country:
An Empirical Study
Md. Rakibul Hoque, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Adnan Albar, Department of Information Systems, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Jahangir Alam, Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT), Dhaka, Bangladesh
ABSTRACT
E-Health is one of the solutions to provide better access for patients and physician to healthcare
facilities. In developing countries, e-Health is particularly important due to a shortage of physician
and medical workers. Although most physicians in developing countries like Bangladesh acknowledge
the benefits of e-Health, low adoption is not uncommon. The objective of this study is to identify
the critical factors affecting e-Health adoption among physicians in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional
survey questionnaire method was used for this study. The structural equation modeling (SEM) with the
partial least square (PLS) approach was used to analyze the data. The study found that Performance
Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence and Personal Innovativeness had a significant impact
on the behavioral intention to use e-Health, while Facilitating Conditions had no significant effect.
The findings of this study will facilitate the degree of more acceptance of new technology by the
physicians for their own betterment.
KEywoRDS
Developing Country, e-Health, Physician, UTAUT
INTRoDUCTIoN
e-Health applications are being widely deployed across the globe to provide healthcare to remote
locations (Mostafa et al, 2010). It is increasingly needed due to the postulation that it improves
effectiveness and efficiency of health services (Lang and Mertes, 2011). Research has shown that
e-Health is one of the solutions to provide better access for patients and physician to healthcare
facilities (Hoque and Bao, 2015; Mostafa et al., 2010; Khalifehsoltani & Gerami, 2010). In developing
countries, e-Health is particularly important due to a shortage of physician and medical workers,
infrastructural problems and disparity between urban and rural citizens (Hoque et al., 2014; Fulton
et al., 2011; Naicker et al., 2009). The patient and physician use of e-Health has been touted as
important ways to improve quality and decrease healthcare costs. It has the potential to improve both
the quality and the access to health care services delivery while lowering costs even in the scarcity
of resources (Nessa et al, 2006).
A recent report has shown the importance of e-Health in reducing the number of readmissions
for patients suffering from many chronic health problems (De Toledo, et al. 2006). e-Health can also
help in keeping track of patients with one or more cognitive disabilities, such as stray prevention
system for the elderly with dementia. An economic analysis of health insurance was performed by
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