What Predicts Patients’ Adoption Intention Toward mHealth Services in China: Empirical Study

BACKGROUND: With the increasing concerns about the health of individuals in China and the development of information technology, mHealth enables patients to access health information and interact with doctors anytime and anywhere. Examining patients’ willingness to use mHealth is considered critical because its success depends on the adoption of patients. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to explore the determinants of mHealth service adoption among Chinese patients using an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) with trust and perceived risks. METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire-based survey in 3 large hospitals in China and analyzed the data using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: The results corroborated that the proposed model fits well. Trust, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use positively correlated with mHealth service adoption. Privacy and performance risks negatively correlated with the patients’ trust and adoption intention toward mHealth services. In addition, patients’ age and chronic diseases can help predict their trust level and adoption intention toward mHealth, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that the TAM generally works in the context of mHealth adoption, although its significance has declined. In addition to technical factors, trust and perceived risks are critical for explaining mHealth service adoption among Chinese patients.