1. User Acceptance of Pervasive
Computing in Healthcare:
Main Findings from two Case Studies
Mandy Scheermesser, Hannah Kosow
IZT- Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment, Berlin
Asarnusch Rashid, Dr. Carsten Holtmann
FZI - Research Center for Information Technologies, Karlsruhe

2. Overview
1. Research Question
2. Theoretical Background
3. Methodology
4. Case Study “Stroke Angel” + User Acceptance
5. Case Study “MS-Nurses”/actibelt + User Acceptance
6. Generalization of Results
7. Conclusion

3. Research Question
è Which factors facilitate or inhibit user
acceptance of Pervasive Computing
in Healthcare?

4. Theoretical Background
è Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)
(Davis 1989)
è Factor “perceived usefulness”
è Factor “perceived ease of use” (“usability”)
è Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)
(Ajzen 1991, Ajzen & Fishbein 1980)
è Factor “subjective norms“

5. Methodology
Analysis of Trends and Stakeholders
Case Study Case Study
“Stroke Angel“ “MS-Nurses“/ actibelt
User Acceptance User Acceptance
Analysis Analysis
• observations • observations
• qualitative semi-structured • qualitative semi-structured
interviews with EMT-I, interviews with patients, physicians,
emergency physicians, nurses, physiotherapists
nurses, physicians • two focus group sessions with chronic
• two focus group sessions patients
with potential patients • questionnaires ex ante/ ex post

6. Case Study ‚Stroke Angel‘
(Source: PerCoMed)

7. Case Study ‚Stroke Angel‘
Control- Paramedic,
assistant in Emergency Doctor, Nurse
Layperson Physician
RCC
Emergency Rescue Lysis /
First-aid Call Diagnosis
Call Out Therapy
Identification and Alarm Preclinical Phase Clinical Phase
(Source: PerCoMed)

8. User Acceptance ‚Stroke Angel‘
è Usefulness: decisive factor of acceptance: shortening ‚time to
imaging‘ vs. time losses and blocked rescue chain.
è Usability: need for better adoption to specific working conditions
in ambulances; time-losses affect perception of medical benefit.
è Subjective norms: interferes with established work and power
relations (EMT-I vs. emergency physicians).

9. Case Study ‚MS-Nurses‘/ actibelt
(Source: Sylvia Lawry Centre for Multipe Sclerosis Research)

10. User Acceptance ‚MS- Nurses‘/actibelt
è Usefulness: medical benefit is not proven yet but expected and
hoped for: objective data, better anamnesis, diagnosis and therapy.
è Usability: patients overall satisfied; difficulties with on/off
mechanism and flashing signal.
è Subjective Norms: influence on physician-patient relationship is
open; changes in job image of nurses.

11. User Acceptance: Generalization
• Usefulness:
- acceptance by all groups of stakeholders is high, if – and only if
– medical benefit is perceived, proven, experienced or at least
expected.
• Usability:
- need for adoption to health care settings and to patients’ and
professionals’ abilities/ disabilities and life/ working conditions.
• Subjective norms:
- If social roles (as job images) change, occupational groups could
inhibit successful implementation.

12. Conclusion
è Transparent communication and
participation required.

13. Thank you for your attention!
h.kosow@izt.de
m.scheermesser@izt.de