INDIVIDUAL INFUSION OF M-HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES: DETERMINANTS AND OUTCOMES

Despite substantial research on IT implementation in the IS field, the healthcare industry has historically been considered a technological laggard and lacks direction for how to successfully infuse new technological innovations within individuals work practices. Theoretically, mobile-health (m-health) technologies, if infused in work practices can potentially enhance the quality of healthcare delivery. The question remains as to whether practitioners\u27 performance significantly improves and individual knowledge is enhanced through the infusion of these technologies. While a significant amount of extant literature focuses on initial technology adoption and acceptance, there remains a dearth of literature in the IS field focusing on the long term utilisation and associated benefits. This paper addresses this gap in extant literature through the development and testing of a conceptual model, exploring determinants of individual infusion of m-health technologies and their subsequent outcomes. This study reveals (a) key enablers of successful mobile infusion in a healthcare context and that successful infusion is determined by the characteristics of the: 1. technology 2. user and 3. task, (b) Infusion of mobile technologies leads to improvements in preventative care, greater decision making and reduced medical errors and, (c) Individuals perceive that knowledge is presented rather than created through mobile technologies

Examining the post-adoptive infusion of mobile technology in a healthcare domain: determinants and outcomes

The healthcare industry is beginning to appreciate the benefits which can be obtained from using Mobile Health Systems (MHS) at the point-of-care. As a result, healthcare organisations are investing heavily in mobile health initiatives with the expectation that users will employ the system to enhance performance. Despite widespread endorsement and support for the implementation of MHS, empirical evidence surrounding the benefits of MHS remains to be fully established. For MHS to be truly valuable, it is argued that the technological tool be infused within healthcare practitioners work practices and used to its full potential in post-adoptive scenarios. Yet, there is a paucity of research focusing on the infusion of MHS by healthcare practitioners. In order to address this gap in the literature, the objective of this study is to explore the determinants and outcomes of MHS infusion by healthcare practitioners. This research study adopts a post-positivist theory building approach to MHS infusion. Existing literature is utilised to develop a conceptual model by which the research objective is explored. Employing a mixed-method approach, this conceptual model is first advanced through a case study in the UK whereby propositions established from the literature are refined into testable hypotheses. The final phase of this research study involves the collection of empirical data from a Canadian hospital which supports the refined model and its associated hypotheses. The results from both phases of data collection are employed to develop a model of MHS infusion. The study contributes to IS theory and practice by: (1) developing a model with six determinants (Availability, MHS Self-Efficacy, Time-Criticality, Habit, Technology Trust, and Task Behaviour) and individual performance-related outcomes of MHS infusion (Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Learning), (2) examining undocumented determinants and relationships, (3) identifying prerequisite conditions that both healthcare practitioners and organisations can employ to assist with MHS infusion, (4) developing a taxonomy that provides conceptual refinement of IT infusion, and (5) informing healthcare organisations and vendors as to the performance of MHS in post-adoptive scenarios