The role of AI-enabled health systems in the Jordanian context: the case of digital contact tracing apps.

Purpose: Digital health or digital healthcare, is a broad, multidisciplinary concept that includes concepts from an intersection between technology and healthcare. Digital health applies digital transformation to the healthcare field, incorporating software, hardware and services. The usefulness of digital health technologies such as digital contact tracing apps (CTAs) depends deeply on the acceptance to use them. Accordingly, the main purpose of this study is to explore the usage of CTAs by integrating the protection motivation theory (PMT) and technology acceptance model (TAM) in the Jordanian context.

Design/methodology/approach: Partial least squares structural equation modelling was employed to test empirically the integrated research model against data collected from 420 respondents, leading to the identification of the important determinants for the usage of CTAs.

Findings: The results reveal that perceived severity and perceived vulnerability have a significant positive impact on the perceived need for CTAs, which, in turn, affects the individuals' intention to use CTAs. It also reveals that perceived trust in government, perceived privacy and perceived usefulness have a significant positive impact on individuals' intention to use CTAs, which, in turn, affects the usage of CTAs. In contrast, perceived ease of use did not find any significant relationship, and hence hypothesis H7 was not supported. Lastly, social media awareness has a significant positive impact on perceived usefulness and ease of use.

Originality/value: This study is considered among the first studies in the Jordanian context that integrate the PMT and TAM to gain a better understanding of the critical determinants for the acceptance and usage of CTAs in the context of pandemics.