A Patient Technology Acceptance Model (PTAM) for Adoption of Telehealth

Abstract

Population aging is a global phenomenon, with the proportion of the population over the age of 60 increasingly rapidly. It is essential to gain an understanding of the factors that influence acceptance of technologies when they are introduced as part of the monitoring and management of clinical conditions. This study undertakes semi-structured interviews of elderly patients being monitored for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) or diabetes to determine the factors they deemed most important for acceptance of the technology. 18 women and 12 men with age range 65–90 and mean 77 years were interviewed. Nine main themes emerged; attitude to aging and illness, coping strategy, relationship and support, patient-doctor interaction, incorporating patients, self-efficacy, personality, personal meaning, and knowledge. The themes were grouped to three constructs; age/illness, patient, and healthcare practitioner, that were considered as the basis of a framework for a patient technology acceptance model (PTAM).