Clinical Usefulness is the Key Common Determinant of Adoption of Wireless Technology in Healthcare for India and Australia

Traditional technology adoption models identified ´perceived ease of use´ and ´perceived usefulness´ as the dominating factors for technology adoption. However, recent studies in healthcare have indicated that these two factors are not always reliable on their own and other issues may contribute to technology adoption. To establish the identity of these, this study investigated human psychological factors using interviews, and enumerated these factors using a quantitative study. The scope of this study was restricted to wireless handheld devices such as PDAs. Medical care systems in two countries differing significantly in the areas of payment options, standards and government regulations among others, were chosen as the settings for this study. Interviews were conducted in India and Australia, and were followed up with a survey based on interview data. Clinical usefulness encompassing issues such as electronic prescription using wireless technology, note taking facilities, communication with physicians, and generating exception lists, was identified as the dominant factor in both these countries. Results show that new technology adoption models in healthcare will benefit by considering the clinical influence of wireless technology in addition to currently established factors.