Factors affecting the adoption of electronic signature: Executives' perspective of hospital information department

I-Chiu Chang; Hsin-Ginn Hwang; Ming-Chien Hung; Ming-Hui Lin; David C Yen

doi:10.1016/j.dss.2007.04.006

Factors affecting the adoption of electronic signature: Executives' perspective of hospital information department

Decis Support Syst. 2007 Nov;44(1):350-359. doi: 10.1016/j.dss.2007.04.006. Epub 2007 May 5.

Authors

I-Chiu Chang¹, Hsin-Ginn Hwang¹, Ming-Chien Hung², Ming-Hui Lin³, David C Yen⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Information Management, National Chung Cheng University, No. 168, University Rd. Min-Hsiung Chia-Yi, Taiwan, ROC.
² Department of E-Business, WuFeng Institute of Technology, No.117, Sec. 2, Jianguo Rd., Min-Hsiung Chia-Yi, Taiwan, ROC.
³ Department of Information Center, Chi Mei Medical Centers, No.901, Zhonghua Rd.Yongkang City, Tainan County 710, Taiwan, ROC.
⁴ Department of Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, United States.

Abstract

The healthcare industry is experiencing a major transformation towards e-healthcare, which delivers and enhances related information through the Internet among healthcare stakeholders and makes the electronic signature (e-signature) more and more important. This paper uses a mature framework, Technology-Organization-Environment (TEO), in information system discipline to identify factors that affect hospitals in adopting e-signature. A survey was conducted on regional hospitals and medical centers in Taiwan to verify the validity of the research framework. The results show that TEO framework is useful in distinguishing hospitals as adopters and non-adopters of e-signature. Based on the research findings, implications and limitations are discussed.

Keywords: Electronic Medical Records; Electronic signature; Healthcare Certification Authority; Technology–Organization–Environment framework.