| Information technology (IT) has become pervasive in the healthcare industry. Many view the Internet as a strategic healthcare tool. The Medical Records Institute suggests that Internet-based health applications (IHA), for example, electronic health records, e-prescribing, and mobile health are the goals of most healthcare organizations (2002). Others contend that the use of the Internet for electronic medical records, e-billing and patient schedule can enable the health care industry to reduce its inefficiencies and errors in the care delivery processes (HIMSS/IBM Leadership Survey, 2000). While the use of IT in healthcare has increased tremendously, key players, specifically physicians still have not fully embraced the valuable resource of the Internet.; Despite the purported advantages of IT investments in healthcare many doctors do not widely use Internet-based health applications in their clinical practices. Physicians often misunderstand the functions and full potential of the Internet (Wang & Song, 1997). Health & Health Care 2010 report that less than 5% of physicians use computers to record all clinical information for an average patient.; An underlying tenet of IT success is the decision maker's willingness to adopt and utilize information systems. Measures that predict and explain use are important in determining what causes people to accept or reject information technology (Hendrickson, Massey & Cronan, 1993). This research reports on the test-retest reliability of the extended Technology Acceptance Model-TAM2 (Venkatesh & Davis, 2000). This study examined physicians' intentions to adopt Internet-based health applications for use in their clinical practices.; Data were collected from a survey of pediatricians to evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of the model in the medical environment. Results from the study indicate that TAM2 is appropriate but not completely applicable to the unique characteristic of physicians. The test-retest indicated reliable results with the exception of the result demonstrability construct. The results of multiple regression analyses indicated that perceived ease of use was not significant in predicting physicians' behavioral intentions in this study. As theorized the primary predictor variable perceived usefulness was a strong determinant of intention to use. Results indicate that physicians tend to be pragmatic in their IT acceptance decisions. Physicians focus more on the technology's usefulness rather than its ease of use.; This dissertation discusses the implications, limitations and presents possible explanations for the inconsistencies within the extended technology acceptance model when it is applied to a professional group not commonly examined in IS research. |
