| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 516493 | International Journal of Medical Informatics | 2014 | 16 Pages |
•The extended model is capable of providing strong explanatory power for usage intention by explaining 54.5% of the variance.•The adoption of HHRs depends on social influence, performance expectancy, trust, privacy concerns, ethical concerns and facilitating conditions.•Social influence is the strongest predictor for HHRs adoption.•There are differences in preferred tasks for HHRs between home healthcare professionals and patients.
BackgroundHome healthcare robots promise to make clinical information available at the right place and time, thereby reducing error and increasing safety and quality. However, it has been frequently reported that more than 40% of previous information technology (IT) developments have failed or been abandoned due to the lack of understanding of the sociotechnical aspects of IT.ObjectivePrevious home healthcare robots research has focused on technology development and clinical applications. There has been little discussion of associated social, technical and managerial issues that are arguably of equal importance for robot success. To fill this knowledge gap, this research aims to understand the determinants of home healthcare robots adoption from these aspects by applying technology acceptance theories.MethodsWe employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The participants were recruited from home healthcare agencies located in the U.S. (n = 108), which included both patients and healthcare professionals. We collected data via a survey study to test a research model.ResultsThe usage intention of home healthcare robots is a function of social influence, performance expectancy, trust, privacy concerns, ethical concerns and facilitating conditions. Among them, social influence is the strongest predictor. Monitoring vital signs and facilitating communication with family and medication reminders are the most preferable tasks and applications for robots.ConclusionSociotechnical factors play a powerful role in explaining the adoption intention for home healthcare robots. The findings provide insights on how home healthcare service providers and robot designers may improve the success of robot technologies.
