Technology readiness and the older citizen’s acceptance of m-health services in India
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DPRG-11-2022-0126 |
| Published date | 08 February 2023 |
| Date | 08 February 2023 |
| Pages | 169-183 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information policy |
| Author | Ajitabh Dash,Sandeep Kumar Mohanty |
Technology readiness and the older
citizen’s acceptance of m-health services
in India
Ajitabh Dash and Sandeep Kumar Mohanty
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study was to create a theoretical model by combining the technology
acceptance model (TAM) with the theory of technology readiness (TR) and then empirically test it to
identify the key factors influencing older citizens’ intention to adopt and use mobile health (m-health),
which has emergedas a tool to facilitate health-care rights for all.
Design/methodology/approach –The convenience sampling method was used to collect data from
465 respondents aged 60 and up from the Delhi-National capital region of India using a questionnaire
survey method. The data collected for this study were analyzed using partial least squares structural
equationmodeling using SmartPLS 3.0.
Findings –The study’s findings indicate that all TR components influence perceived usefulness (PU) and
ease of use. The exception is discomfort, which does notaff ectperceived ease of use (PEOU). Furthermore,
PU and PEOU influenced the older citizen’s attitude toward m-health, and attitude influenced their intention
to use m-health applications.
Originality/value –To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to apply the TAM in
combination with TR index to examine the acceptability of m-health consulting by the older citizen in an
emerging economy like India.
Keywords Health care, M-health, Older citizen population, Technology acceptance,
Technology readiness
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The world’s population is aging at an alarming rate. More than 566 million people worldwide are
over 65, with forecasts that almost 1.5 billion will reach that age by 2050 (Oderanti et al., 2021).
Although the consistent and ongoing increase in life expectancy is a human achievement, it also
needs adequate health-care services for the aging population as a broader developmental goal
(Baru et al., 2021). Concerns about the health and well-being of the older citizen have grown in
the emergent economies but remained an issue in developing countries such as India, where
the disease burden in the older citizen population is substantially higher than in the non-older
citizen group (Ranjan and Muraleedharan, 2020). As the COVID-19 pandemic (coronavirus
disease 2019) unfolds and the complete attention of the public and private health-care systems
shifts to handling the resulting exigencies, it is becoming clear that the older citizen population’s
right to health care has been adversely affected (Baru et al.,2021). It indicates that, in addition
to increased demand due to pandemics, the health-care sector will feel the pressure to secure
health-care rights for all citizens, particularly the senior population in developing economies such
as India. According to World Health Organization, developing countries’ health-care
infrastructure, such as India’s, is insufficient to satisfy existing demand and is also difficult for the
Indian government to upgrade or expand at this time (Shettigar and Misra, 2021).
Ajitabh Dash is based at
the Department of
Marketing Management,
Jaipuria Institute of
Managementm, Indore,
India. Sandeep Kumar
Mohanty is based at the
Department of Commerce,
XIM Bhubaneswar,
Bhubaneswar, India.
Received 21 July 2022
Revised 3 January 2023
Accepted 3 January 2023
DOI 10.1108/DPRG-11-2022-0126 VOL. 25 NO. 2 2023, pp. 169-183, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2398-5038 jDIGITAL POLICY, REGULATION AND GOVERNANCE jPAGE 169
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