Exploring new factors and the question of 'which' in user acceptance studies of healthcare software

The importance of user acceptance of technology is critical for the success of technology implementation in the health-care sector. Spending on the procurement of new technology is growing in the hope of improving patient care as well as providing better services to the public, thus it is important that the technology is used to achieve its intended purpose. Success or failure of technology implementation depends upon the acceptance of the user and this is evident through the growing number of studies on evaluation particularly on user acceptance of the technology. While various models and frameworks have been developed to address factors associated with technology acceptance, they provide little understanding on the reasons for discrepancies in acceptance of the same system among different users. In response to this issue, this thesis proposes a theoretical model which suggests the role of ‘fit’ between user, technology and organization as an antecedent of user acceptance factors. This model was suggested based on a review of the literature and was empirically investigated on medical students’ intention to use medically related software. The proposed model in this thesis integrates three very well known existing models namely the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the DeLone McLean IS Success Model and the Task-Technology Fit Model. The model is examined as a single model, which investigates (1) the effect of perceived fit between user, technology and organization on factors defined by UTAUT and the IS Success Model; (2) the effect of perceived fit between user, technology and organization on management support and information security expectancy construct; and (3) the effect of management support and information security expectancy on intention to use.