Factors affecting adoption of wireless access for health and its association with behavior of rural health workers and their pregnant patients

• Main Author: Nillos, Bien Eli
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2014
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/4697
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study examined the factors which determine the level of adoption of Wireless Access for Health (WAH) among rural health workers. It likewise investigated how such factors are associated with the rural health workers behavioral intent to sustain the usage of the technology. Furthermore, the study also examined the relevance of WAH to the health seeking behaviors of pregnant clients in terms of accessing maternal care services. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was used and modified as a framework for analysis in this study applied in a post-adoption scenario. 156 randomly selected rural health workers from 11 Philippine municipalities responded to a survey adopted from after the UTAUT questionnaire. Health data and municipal profiles were also collected through a separate survey form. Correlation analysis and one-way analysis of variance were used to test the relationships between the variables. A majority of the respondents were working as midwives, with 50% of the respondents aging from 41 years old and above. The average length of years of service of a rural health worker in the rural health unit is 13 years. Majority of these municipalities have regular availability of electricity, no access to the Internet, adequate cellphone signal coverage and has at least 50% of the minimum required I.T. hardware to operate WAH. There is moderate to high levels of Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence and Facilitating Conditions among all the respondents. Adoption of the technology is also moderate. Intent to continue using WAH is high. There is also noted increase in facilities based deliveries and deliveries attended to by skilled birth attendants in the municipalities after installation of WAH. Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence and Facilitating Conditions are significantly correlated with Adoption of WAH. Length of years in service, albeit weak, is also correlated with the adoption of the technology. Adoption of WAH is also strongly correlated with intent to continue using WAH. Respondents who have high adoption of WAH have high perception of improvement in the health seeking behaviour of their pregnant clients as well. To establish high adoption of WAH among rural health workers, interventions must ignite appreciation among health work workers as regard to the importance and relevance of the technology to their work (performance expectancy). The health workers must also be taught to use the technology effectively so that they will perceive it as user friendly and easy to learn (effort expectancy). Support from the health managers and local chief executives of the municipalities, both administrative (social influence) and logistical (facilitating conditions) may be necessary in order for them to adopt the technology.