Exploring determinants of engagement in the use of IoT for healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic: A fear-driven perspective

Our research analyzes how the fear related to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic reinforces the engagement in the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices for healthcare. While prior research has examined the adoption of IoT for healthcare, there is a notable absence of exploration regarding the influence of COVID-19-related factors, such as fear and desire for self-care, on user engagement with IoT devices and their determining factors. A quantitative study using the partial least squares algorithm was conducted to analyze this gap. The mediating role of the desire for self-care between fear and social influences, on the one hand, and engagement in using this technology, on the other, was confirmed by adopting the Macro Process on SPSS.¹ The study results make it possible to put forward several interesting recommendations that facilitate the long-term adoption of the Internet of Things for health. The mediating role of the desire for self-care in the relationship between fear and user engagement explains that IoT users who are afraid of catching COVID-19 will be more concerned about health monitoring, leading them to adopt this technology of IoT devices.