The factors influencing physicians'adoption of mobile technology

Abstract

The application of mobile technologies has been experimented in various fields. The wave of mobile technologies is also flowing to healthcare field and encourages it to change. Various mobile technologies already saturate the world, and hospitals also try to invite them eagerly. This thesis introduces mobile round that is physicians`` round using a mobile device instead of a paper chart, because it provides an amount of advantages: high-quality medical services, work reduction, and speedy administrative processes. Also, in this thesis, applicable mobile technologies in hospitals are treated. Applicable mobile networks are 2G or 2.5G WiFi, and Bloctooth. Applicable mobile devices are various; smartphones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), tablet PCs. According to current experiments of mobile round, 2G or 2.5G and WiFi are prominent technologies, and PDAs are a strong candidate. This thesis also concentrates on physicians`` acceptance of a mobile round system, based on technology acceptance model (TAM) that is estimated most robust and influential in explaining technology acceptance. The thesis adopts a modified TAM combining the original TAM consisting of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use with the risk concept. In this thesis, risk consists of items related to the risk of information distortion or omission and the risk of interference of frequency with medical equipments. Conclusively, this study argues that risk as well as usefulness and ease of use have an effect on physicians`` acceptance of mobile round. In order to validate the proposed model, 186 cases were collected, and the author uses AMOS-based structural equation model (SEM). The result of empirical test shows that the modified TAM is acceptable. The result also shows that risk has an effect on intention to use as strongly as usefulness in physicians`` acceptance of mobile round.