BACKGROUND
Electronic health (e-health) is becoming a prominent component of the health care system. The implementation and sustainable adoption of e-health systems is now taking as a big agenda in developing countries like Ethiopia, hence it all about saving a millions of lives. Even though there are some pilot e-health implementations, the success and sustainability of the systems are found less than the expected. So, this study aims to fill the gap in identifying the factors affecting sustainable adoption of e-health systems using the revised technology acceptance model at five referral hospitals of Amhara regional state of Ethiopia.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the factors affecting sustainable adoption of e-health systems using the revised technology acceptance model at five referral hospitals of Amhara regional state of Ethiopia.
METHODS
Institutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted among a total of 384 health care professionals. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. And the data were entered and the descriptive data were analyzed using Epi-info version 7 and SPSS version 20 respectively. Structural equation modeling, using AMOS 22, was also used to measure and clarify the degree of relationships between variables.
RESULTS
The findings of the structural equation modeling (SEM) indicates that perceived usefulness has significance influence on attitude (β =0.29, P<0.01) and intention to use e-health (β =0.38, P<0.01); technical infrastructure has significance influence on attitude (β =0.41, P<0.01) and intention to use e-health (β =0.34, P<0.01); staffs IT experience has significance influence on attitude (β =0.26, P<0.05); security concerns of a system has significance influence on attitude (β =0.34, P<0.05) and intention to use e-health (β =0.33, P<0.01); and attitude has also significance influence on intention to use e-health (β =0.52, P<0.01), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
Electronic health system implementers and executives in resource limited settings are in urgent need of adoption models to design proper implementation strategies. The constructs; perceived usefulness, technical infrastructure, staffs IT experience, security concerns and attitude portrayed in the revised TAM model were found with a strong positive relationship with the dependent variable, intention to use e-health. Therefore, the implementers should give a priority in enhancing technical infrastructures of the organizations, staffs IT skill, and their attitude towards e-health by giving continuous support.