Technology anxiety and resistance to change behavioral study of a wearable cardiac warming system using an extended TAM for older adults

PLoS One. 2020 Jan 13;15(1):e0227270. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227270. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

With advances in technology, wireless and sensor technologies represent a method for continuously recording people's biomedical signals, which may enhance the diagnosis and treatment of users' everyday health conditions. These technologies mostly target older adults. In this study, we examine a smart clothing system targeting clinically high-risk patients, including older adults with cardiovascular disease (31 outpatients) and older adults in general (81 participants), to obtain an understanding of the patients' perception of using wearable healthcare technologies. Given that technology anxiety has been shown to affect users' resistance to using new technology and that perceived ubiquity is considered a characteristic of wearable devices and other mobile wireless technologies, we included three external variables: i.e., technology anxiety, perceived ubiquity, and resistance to change, in addition to the traditional components of the technology acceptance model (TAM). The results of the hypothesized model showed that among older adults in general, technology anxiety had a negative effect on the perceived ease of use and perceived ubiquity. The perceived ubiquity construct affects both user groups' perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of wearing smart clothes. Most relationships among the original constructs of the TAM were validated in older adults in general. Interestingly, we found that perceived usefulness had an indirect effect on behavioral intention through attitude. These results further confirm the validity of the extended TAM in determining older users' technology acceptance behavior.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Anxiety / etiology
  • Anxiety / psychology*
  • Biomedical Technology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intention
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Psychological*
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / instrumentation
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / psychology
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / psychology*
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / statistics & numerical data
  • Patient Preference
  • Taiwan
  • Telemedicine / instrumentation
  • Telemedicine / statistics & numerical data
  • Wearable Electronic Devices / psychology*
  • Wireless Technology / instrumentation

Grants and funding

This work was supported in part by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan, R.O.C., under Grant MOST 104-2627-E-182-001, Grant MOST 104-2754-8-182-001, Grant MOST 103-2221-E-182-003, Grant MOST 105-2627-E-182-001, Grant MOST 105-2221-E-182-050, and Grant MOST 104-2221-E-182-013, as well as CGU fund BMRPC50 and BMRP138.The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.