Understanding Middle-Aged and Elderly Taiwanese People's Acceptance of the Personal Health Information System for Self-health Management

摘要

With the increasingly aging population and advances in information technology, self-health management has become an important topic. Middle-aged and elderly people are considered to have higher risks of contracting multiple chronic diseases and complications, thus increasing their need for healthcare. Personal health information systems provide middle-aged and elderly people with their personal healthcare information, enable them to exercise their right to know their healthcare information, and ultimately enhance measures that increase users' convenience in managing their own health. Although several prior studies have focused on the factors that influence the adoption of personal health records and electronic medical records, the literature on middle-aged and elderly people's attitudes toward the use of personal health information systems in self-health management is scarce. Thus, this study proposes a theoretical model to explain middle-aged and elderly people's intention to use a personal health information system in self-health management. A field survey was conducted in Taiwan to collect data from middle-aged and elderly people. A total of 240 valid responses were obtained, constituting a response rate of 88.89%. The results indicate that perceived severity, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, and cues to action have positive effects on usage intention. However, perceived susceptibility and perceived barriers do not significantly affect behavioral intention. The study has implications on the development of strategies to improve personal health IT acceptance.