Health management’s perspective on eHealth and user adoption : Determinants for technology use

Abstract: Digital interventions in healthcare have the potential to act as a positive approach to the demographical and social dilemmas existing in sparsely populated regions. Much emphasis lies on designing implementations that are beneficial and used to a large extent. The impact of responsible stakeholders in designing and implementing those interventions is vital to successful outcomes, but research about their perspective on the topic is lacking. The role of voluntariness in eHealth is unclear, and management’s view on determining factors that impact user adoption can contribute to the Information Systems literature. This study aimed to investigate healthcare management’s perspective regarding eHealth. A qualitative study was performed by conducting semi-structured interviews with management and decision-makers in Swedish healthcare on the regional and municipal levels. Their attitude towards the digitalization of healthcare is generally positive, and its benefits for the future are evident. Digitalizing the health sector is seen as necessary as long as equal care and high quality in healthcare can be maintained. Much work lies in increasing adherence to use eHealth solutions, and there is a desire to improve national coordination. Factors that influence adoption are generally compatible with existing technology acceptance literature, but the impact of some determinants differs. The results indicate that social influence has a more important impact in the voluntary context of eHealth than previous literature suggests. An introduction of mandatory elements in healthcare may have benefits for continuous use. Future research about the differences between voluntary and mandated contexts can give rich insight into how to view factors that affect technology adoption and adherence to eHealth solutions.