| Summary: | With the recent blooming and revolutionizing effect of mobile technologies and its
related applications (apps), it is not uncommon that medical apps have seen to play
a role in decision support within the health system including pharmacy practice. It
is of great importance to learn about healthcare professionals' views towards the
adoption of this new health information technology (HIT) in their practices prior to
any mandatory implementation of the system. The goal of this study is to
investigate pharmacists' perception towards mobile medical apps use in pharmacy
practice and to explore the enabling and inhibiting factors that govern the adoption
of this HIT. This study has undertaken a mixed-mode research methodology,
combining focus group and survey questionnaire studies to examine the
relationships between key constructs in the proposed model. Multinational
pharmacists from various fields of practice have participated in the studies. Survey
data was analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) modeling statistical technique.
The findings provided strong empirical support for six positive (i.e. perceived
usefulness, perceived ease of use, result demonstrability, subjective norm,
compatibility, facilitating conditions) and two negative determinants (i.e. security,
resistance to change) of intention to use medical apps. Predictive relevance of the
proposed model was evaluated and was found promising in generalizing actual
medical apps usage. Results of this study are able to assist healthcare
administrators or managers in their decision making during early stage of medical
apps use implementation. In short, contribution and implications of this study are
noteworthy both theoretically and practically, and serves as the baseline for future
studies.
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