The Nature and Role of Perceived Threats in User Resistance to Healthcare Information Technology

Abstract

The efforts of the United States government in the past 15 years have included harnessing the power of health information technology (HIT) to improve legibility, lessen medical errors, keep costs low, and elevate the quality of healthcare. However, user resistance is still a barrier to overcome in order to achieve desired outcomes. Understanding the nature of resistance is key to successfully increasing the adoption of HIT systems. Previous research has showed that perceived threats are a significant antecedent of user resistance; however, its nature and role have remained vastly unexplored. This study uses the psychological reactance theory to explain both the nature and role of perceived threats in HIT-user resistance. The study shows that perceived helplessness over process and perceived dissatisfaction over outcomes are two unique instances of perceived threats. Additionally, the results reveal that resistance to healthcare information systems can manifest as reactance, distrust, scrutiny, or inertia. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Aspekty Zarządcze Informatyzacji W Podmiotach Leczniczych

“…zdigitalizozrealizowane (Ngafeeson & Manga, 2021) jest powolny (Czerska et al, 2019) 2020). Dlate nej, dlatego w ostatnich dwudziestu latach widoczny jest wzrost publikacji na ten temat (Marques & Ferreira, 2020).…”

Human Coach Technology Reactance Factors and their Influence on End-Users' Acceptance of e-Health Applications

“…Ultimately, technology reactance can significantly impact the success of ehealth solutions. By understanding the potential for technology reactance and taking appropriate steps to address it, developers and promoters can help ensure that their intended audiences adopt and utilize their e-health solutions [2,15].…”

Digital transformation of healthcare sector. What is impeding adoption and continued usage of technology-driven innovations by end-users?

“…A comprehensive review of the literature reveals that given the size of the healthcare sector, studies examining the drivers of providers' resistance to e-health innovations remain scant. Furthermore, most prior studies that have examined this resistance have focused on specific innovations, such as electronic health records (e.g., Al-Rayes, Alumran, & AlFayez, 2019; Ngafeeson & Manga, 2021), clinical decision support systems (e.g., Fossum et al, 2011;Zakane et al, 2014), the epidemic prevention cloud (Hsieh & Lin, 2020), computerized physician/provider order entry systems (e.g., Hoonakker et al, 2013), and telemedicine (Del Giudice Bagot et al, 2020;Segrelles-Calvo et al, 2017). This limited scope and coverage underscores the need to better understand endusers' responses to e-health innovations in a broader and more overarching manner.…”