Study of the Attitude of Users towards Picture Archiving and Communication System Based on the Technology Acceptance Model in Teaching Hospitals of Qom, Iran

Background and Objectives: Many healthcare providers use health information technology to improve their performance. Picture Archiving and Communication System is a subsystem of the health information system that aims to facilitate the storing, archiving, and managing of digital images as well as their transmission. In this regard, measuring the level of acceptance of technology can be very helpful in the successful implementation of a system. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the level of acceptance of Picture Archiving and Communication System by users based on the Technology Acceptance Model questionnaire. This study was conducted in teaching hospitals of Qom, Iran (where the Picture Archiving and Communication System are currently in operation).   Methods: The present cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was performed on all the radiology staff of teaching hospitals in Qom, which is equipped with Picture Archiving and Communication System. The data were collected using the Technology Acceptance Model questionnaire and analyzed in SPSS (version 21)  and SmartPLS (version 21) software using descriptive statistics for the demographic characteristics and partial least square approach for the structural equation modeling and the path coefficients were calculated.   Results: Based on the findings, the attitude towards usefulness had a significant correlation with the attitude towards usage (P<0.001). Moreover, attitude towards the ease of use had a significant relationship with the attitude towards usefulness (P<0.001). The attitude towards usage also had a significant association with the actual use (P<0.001). According to the table of path coefficients, the effect of ease of use on the attitude (path coefficient: 0.599) was greater than that of the ease of use (path coefficient: 0.108). It was also concluded that age and work experience did not have a significant relationship with the attitude towards ease of use, usefulness, usage, and actual use (P<0.001).   Conclusion: According to the results, the two variables of attitude towards ease of use and usefulness influenced the acceptance of the Picture Archiving and Communication System and should be considered in evaluations and plans.