Impact of Health Informatics on Patients’ Perception of Health Care Services: Trends over Time of Health Information Technology Use

Abstract

Despite the increase in the availability of online technology, the trend of patients’ adoption of health information technology is not yet clear. This study aims to track the temporal evolution of technology adoption among patients. It focuses on studying the impact of technology use on health care services perspective using the self-efficacy theory. We conducted analysis to evaluate trends over time using Nationally representative data. We found that the more people use technology over time, the less effective they perceive health care services. Their use of technology consists of seeking more information online and communicating more with health care providers. Efforts need to be made in order to guide the use of technology as a complement to clinical health care services to ensure a supervision of health behaviors and a framing of health pathway. Future studies should look at the possible designs and concepts that may provide a suitable solution that both satisfy patients and providers’ needs involving technology but keeping traditional health services respectable.