Pharmacies providing health services: Attitudes toward eHealth in Italy

The psychological factors behind pharmacists' inclination to adopt new technologies in pharmacies are intricate. However, the factors influencing pharmacists' usage of one such technology, telemedicine, remain unexplored in the literature. In this study, we explore the factors behind attitude formation for telemedicine adoption to address this research gap. We have based our study on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model, combining it with the self-determination theory and the social identity theory. A cross-sectional approach was adopted, with data collected from 153 pharmacy owners in Italy from September 2021 to May 2022 via a survey. Predictive model evaluation utilizing PLS-SEM revealed that performance expectancy has the most intense effects on adoption intention. Furthermore, effort expectation and social influence significantly influence adoption intention, albeit not as strongly as performance expectancy.

Automated summary

This study explores the factors influencing pharmacists' adoption intention of telemedicine. Based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model, the study combines it with the self-determination theory and the social identity theory. The findings reveal that performance expectancy has the strongest impact on adoption intention, followed by effort expectation and social influence, although to a lesser degree.