The Antecedents of the Technology Acceptance Model in Microentrepreneurs' Intention to Use Social Networking Sites

Social media platforms offer significant growth opportunities for enterprises, particularly microenterprises, due to the chance to establish direct contact with customers. Drawing on the Technology-Acceptance Model (TAM), in the present study, we investigate the psychological reasons that lead microentrepreneurs to use Social Networking Sites (SNSs) for their business. In doing so, we also extend TAM by taking into account entrepreneurs' personalities (e.g., extraversion and openness to experience) and their perceived risk. We collected data by examining 247 microentrepreneurs engaged in the production of handmade objects. Our results confirm that of all the TAM behavioral antecedents tested, perceived usefulness and attitude toward SNSs' usage for business proved to be the best predictors of the intention to use SNSs for business activity. The results also indicate that extraversion, openness to experience, and perceived risk, as external factors, significantly affect the TAM constructs. We discuss implications and suggestions for future research.

Factors determining patients' intentions to use point-of-care testing medical devices for self-monitoring: the case of international normalized ratio self-testing

PURPOSE

To identify factors that determine patients' intentions to use point-of-care medical devices, ie, portable coagulometer devices for self-testing of the international normalized ratio (INR) required for ongoing monitoring of blood-coagulation intensity among patients on long-term oral anticoagulation therapy with vitamin K antagonists, eg, warfarin.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study that applied the technology-acceptance model through a self-completed questionnaire, which was administered to a convenience sample of 125 outpatients attending outpatient anticoagulation services at a district general hospital in London, UK. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analyses, and structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

The participants were mainly male (64%) and aged ≥ 71 years (60%). All these patients were attending the hospital outpatient anticoagulation clinic for INR testing; only two patients were currently using INR self-testing, 84% of patients had no knowledge about INR self-testing using a portable coagulometer device, and 96% of patients were never offered the option of the INR self-testing. A significant structural equation model explaining 79% of the variance in patients' intentions to use INR self-testing was observed. The significant predictors that directly affected patients' intention to use INR self-testing were the perception of technology (β = 0.92, P < 0.001), trust in doctor (β = -0.24, P = 0.028), and affordability (β = 0.15, P = 0.016). In addition, the perception of technology was significantly affected by trust in doctor (β = 0.43, P = 0.002), age (β = -0.32, P < 0.001), and affordability (β = 0.23, P = 0.013); thereby, the intention to use INR self-testing was indirectly affected by trust in doctor (β = 0.40), age (β = -0.29), and affordability (β = 0.21) via the perception of technology.

CONCLUSION

Patients' intentions to use portable coagulometers for INR self-testing are affected by patients' perceptions about the INR testing device, the cost of device, trust in doctors/clinicians, and the age of the patient, which need to be considered prior to any intervention involving INR self-testing by patients. Manufacturers should focus on increasing the affordability of INR testing devices for patients' self-testing and on the potential role of medical practitioners in supporting use of these medical devices as patients move from hospital to home testing.