Factors affecting the intent to use information technology in health care organizations: A comparative study

The process of adoption and implementation of information technology in organizations has always been a tiring experience, prompting much research to identify the factors related to the adoption process. Many researchers have concurred on the usefulness of the behavioral intent models in investigating the user\u27s attitude and use intentions. However, information technology has been evolving at an unprecedented pace, which may have altered the conditions that the previous studies were subject to. This current study attempts to identify a comprehensive information technology adoption model that would offer an improved understanding of the underlying factors in the attitude formation and behavioral intent toward information technology. A review of information technology, management science, marketing, health care, management, and psychology literature helped to identify the factors that are germane to the adoption and implementation process of information technology in organizations. These factors, along with additional constructs derived from theory, are organized into a hypothetical information technology adoption model. The context chosen for this study is the health care industry. Health care organizations present a unique dilemma when it comes to information technology adoption. Even though they are intensely dependent on timely and accurate information, they lag far behind the other industries in the utilization of information technology. In this context, we collected mail survey data using stratified sampling from administrative staff working in three different types of health care organizations. The survey data was used to test the hypotheses proposed. In addition, comparison between the hypothesized model and a commonly used model was performed. The results indicate that the hypothesized model had superior explanatory power when investigating attitudes and the behavioral intents of the users