Determinants of Acceptance and Use of DHIS2: Survey Instrument Validation and Preliminary Findings using PLS-SEM

Implementing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems in an organization-wide setting is usually a costly venture, yet there is no guarantee that the targeted users of such systems will adopt and use them effectively for the benefit of the organization. Technology acceptance studies have been conducted widely and various models developed in an attempt to predict the critical determinants of technology acceptance, specifically from the users’ perspective. One such model is the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). It has reportedly been able to explain up to 69% of user intention to use technology under different settings. These settings did not however include a healthcare context in a developing country, with all the unique challenges of implementing ICT under such settings. This study sought to establish the applicability of an adapted UTAUT model in establishing critical determinants of acceptance of a web-based health information management software, the DHIS2, in Kenya. In the pilot phase of the study, the researchers used Partial Least Squares structural equation modeling technique for the analysis of the complex relationships postulated to explain technology acceptance under such settings. The survey instrument’s content validity, as well as the adapted model’s constructs reliability and validity were confirmed, and the preliminary finding was that the model was able to explain 63.4% of the user intention to use DHIS2.