Perception of privacy and security for acceptance of E-health technologies: Exploratory analysis for diverse user groups

Abstract

The present study explores perceived relevance of security and privacy aspects in different user groups and assesses the predictive power of these attributes on acceptance of medical assistive technologies. Based on previously conducted focus groups a questionnaire was developed and quantitative data from N = 104 persons were analyzed. In a descriptive manner opinions of adults in all stages of life (age groups from young, middle-aged to older people) as well as gender - and health-related are presented and discussed with regard to those characteristics, and differences between the groups are disclosed. In multivariate regressions follows the analysis of most predictive security and privacy attributes for the acceptance (i.e. perceived usefulness) of E-health technologies. Results show that both security and privacy aspects play an important role for acceptance and usage of medical assistive technologies.