BackgroundWith the increasing concerns about the health of individuals in China and the development of information technology, mHealth enables patients to access health information and interact with doctors anytime and anywhere. Examining patients’ willingness to use mHealth is considered critical because its success depends on the adoption of patients.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to explore the determinants of mHealth service adoption among Chinese patients using an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) with trust and perceived risks.MethodsWe conducted a questionnaire-based survey in 3 large hospitals in China and analyzed the data using structural equation modeling.ResultsThe results corroborated that the proposed model fits well. Trust, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use positively correlated with mHealth service adoption. Privacy and performance risks negatively correlated with the patients’ trust and adoption intention toward mHealth services. In addition, patients’ age and chronic diseases can help predict their trust level and adoption intention toward mHealth, respectively.ConclusionsWe concluded that the TAM generally works in the context of mHealth adoption, although its significance has declined. In addition to technical factors, trust and perceived risks are critical for explaining mHealth service adoption among Chinese patients.

Objective This paper aims to explore the determinants of the online health information seeking (OHIS) and usage (OHIU) behaviours of consumers based on the perceived benefits and costs of such activities. Methods This study applies questionnaires and empirical research methods. A questionnaire is designed according to the hypothesis model. A total of 282 questionnaires are obtained from patients and their accompanying families in two large hospitals, and the SPSS 17.0 and AMOS 17.0 (IBM, Almond, NY, USA) software are used to analyse the sample data and to test the research models. Results Three key findings are obtained from the analysis. Firstly, functional, learning, social and personal integrative benefits positively affect the OHIS intent of consumers. Secondly, cognitive costs negatively influence the OHIU behaviour of consumers. Thirdly, personal integrative benefits and OHIS behaviour significantly influence the OHIU behaviour of consumers. Conclusion This paper highlights the differences between OHIS and OHIU based on their impact factors and applies social exchange theory to understand such factors. Online health information providers must improve the ease of use of their websites or applications, enhance the quality of their health information and focus on their functionality.

Background:With the increasing concern of Healthy China and the development of information technology, mobile health enables patients access health information and interacting with doctors anytime and anywhere. Since the success of mobile health would depend on the adoption of patients, examining patients' willingness to use it is considered critical. Objective:This study aims to explore the determinants of mobile health services adoption among Chinese patients by an extended TAM with trust and perceived risk. Method:We conducted a questionnaire-based survey in three large Chinese hospitals, and analyzed the data with structural equation model. Results:The results reveal that the proposed model fits well. Specifically, trust, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use positively correlate with mobile health services adoption. While, privacy risk and performance risk negatively correlate with the patients' trust and adoption intention toward mobile health. In addition, age and chronic condition of patients could predict their trust level and adoption intention towards mobile health respectively. Conclusion:We conclude that TAM works for the context of mobile health adoption in general, though the significance has declined. Supplementary to technical factors, trust and perceived risk are critical in explaining mobile health services adoption among Chinese patients.

No abstract

No abstract