Technology Acceptance Models in Health Informatics: TAM and UTAUT

Abstract

Both the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) aim at understanding better why users accept or reject a given technology, and how user acceptance can be improved through technology design. Two case studies are presented where TAM and UTAUT were successfully used in a health care setting to predict technology adoption. Both models have found popularity in health care. However, recent reviews show that TAM and UTAUT failed to provide stable predictive capabilities for acceptance and use of technologies in health care. Reasons for this may be the specific context of health care, where not only the technology, but also socio-organizational and cultural factors influence technology acceptance.