Ali Garavand1, Mahnaz Samadbeik2, Hamed Nadri3,4, Bahlol Rahimi3, Heshmatollah Asadi5. 1. Department of Health Information Management and Technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2. Department of Health Information Technology, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran. 3. Department of Health Information Technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran. 4. Student Research Committee, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran. 5. Department of Public Health, School of health and Nutrition, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Students with complex health care services process face constant challenges with regard to health education. The mobile devices are an important tool that can install various applications for using information such as clinical guidelines, drug resources, clinical calculations, and the latest scientific evidence without any time and place limitations. And this happens only when students accept and use it. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to identify the factors influencing students in their intention to use mobile health (mHealth) by using Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. METHODS: A standard questionnaire was used to collect the data from nearly 302 Lorestan University of medical science students including nutrition and public health, paramedicine, nursing and midwifery, pharmacy, dentistry, and medical schools. The data were processed using LISREL (Scientific Software International, Inc., Lincolnwood, Illinois) and SPSS (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York) softwares and the statistical analysis technique was based on structural equation modeling (SEM). RESULT: A total of 300 questionnaires including valid responses were used in this study. The results showed that mediator of age did not affect the predictors of intention to use mHealth, and the level of education and gender directly affected the intention to use. In addition, effort expectancy, facilitating condition, and behavioral intention directly and indirectly have effect on use, whereas the result revealed no significant relationship between two important processes of performance expectancy and social influence with students' behavioral intention to use the mHealth. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides valuable information on mobile health acceptance factors for widespread use of this device among students of universities of medical sciences as a base infrastructure for a variety of information about health services and learning. Review and comparison of results with other studies showed that mHealth acceptance factors were different from other end users (elderly, patients, and health professionals). Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
BACKGROUND: Students with complex health care services process face constant challenges with regard to health education. The mobile devices are an important tool that can install various applications for using information such as clinical guidelines, drug resources, clinical calculations, and the latest scientific evidence without any time and place limitations. And this happens only when students accept and use it. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to identify the factors influencing students in their intention to use mobile health (mHealth) by using Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. METHODS: A standard questionnaire was used to collect the data from nearly 302 Lorestan University of medical science students including nutrition and public health, paramedicine, nursing and midwifery, pharmacy, dentistry, and medical schools. The data were processed using LISREL (Scientific Software International, Inc., Lincolnwood, Illinois) and SPSS (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York) softwares and the statistical analysis technique was based on structural equation modeling (SEM). RESULT: A total of 300 questionnaires including valid responses were used in this study. The results showed that mediator of age did not affect the predictors of intention to use mHealth, and the level of education and gender directly affected the intention to use. In addition, effort expectancy, facilitating condition, and behavioral intention directly and indirectly have effect on use, whereas the result revealed no significant relationship between two important processes of performance expectancy and social influence with students' behavioral intention to use the mHealth. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides valuable information on mobile health acceptance factors for widespread use of this device among students of universities of medical sciences as a base infrastructure for a variety of information about health services and learning. Review and comparison of results with other studies showed that mHealth acceptance factors were different from other end users (elderly, patients, and health professionals). Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.