Understanding acceptance of eHealthcare by IoT natives and IoT immigrants: An integrated model of UTAUT, perceived risk, and financial cost

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a modern disruptive technological approach that connects devices and people in a smart way at any time and at any place. The development of IoT is forecast to generate high economic value, improve efficiency of enterprises' operational processes, and benefit the personal and professional lives of its end users. This new model of human-technology interaction is under-researched, especially with regard to eHealth. The current study aims to close this research gap by investigating IoT adoption in eHealthcare from the customer perspective and by including financial cost in the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework. The model is validated based on data collected from a randomly selected sample of 268 potential users of IoT-based healthcare devices in France. Structural modeling reveals that the cost of using IoT in eHealthcare is the key barrier to IoT adoption. Age is a significant mediator of customers' intention to use IoT in eHealthcare and inspires the formulation of two new categories: IoT natives and IoT immigrants. The findings have practical application for IoT developers, policymakers, and potentially for marketers.

Automated summary

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a disruptive technological approach that connects devices and people, generating economic value and improving efficiency. Research has identified cost as a key barrier to IoT adoption in eHealthcare, with age influencing customers' intentions to use IoT and creating new categories of users.