CONCEPTUALIZING PASSIVE TRUST: THE CASE OF SMART GLASSES IN HEALTHCARE

In recent years the digitisation of healthcare has been moving forward. Emerging technologies, such as smart glasses, are being tested for allowing healthcare workers information access at the point of care, while being able to work hands-free. Yet it remains unclear how the use of smart glasses will affect the trust relationship between patients and caregivers. The patient is not an active user of the smart glasses but is nevertheless dependent on outcomes influenced by the smart glasses. The patient, therefore, becomes a passive trustor of this technology. Building up-on existing trust research literature, we present a research model and extend it by interviewing 20 patients about their experiences with caregivers and their perceptions regarding the use of smart glasses in healthcare. We find that communication with patients is a key driver of passive trust in technology and trust in caregivers. This research contributes to a better understanding of the trust relationship between patients and caregivers and provides insights into the construct of passive trust in technology. In order to extend the qualitative data analysis, future research should investigate the extent of the acceptance of smart glasses by patients within healthcare facilities

Smart Glasses in Health Care: A Patient Trust Perspective

Digitization in the health care sector is striving forward. Wearable technologies like smart glasses are being evaluated for providing hands-free and septic-safe access to information systems at the point of care. While smart glasses hold the potential to make service processes more efficient and effective, it is unclear whether patients would opt-in to treatments involving smart glasses. Patients are not active users of smart glasses but are nevertheless affected of outcomes produced by the symbiosis of health care workers and smart glasses. Using an online survey with 437 respondents, we find that it is important to properly explain to patients why smart glasses are being used and to proactively address data privacy concerns. Otherwise, smart glasses can significantly increase risk perceptions, reduce patients’ estimates of health care workers’ abilities, and decrease patients’ willingness to opt-in to medical procedures