A Study Based on the Influence of Use of "Internet+Health Management System" on Quality of Life of the Elderly——Taking "Internet+Smart bed" Health Management System as An Example (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The technical development of the Internet+Health Management System (IHMS system) and people's growing demand for attaching importance to their own health condition has affected the healthcare and service industry. However, the level of acceptance of these products varies greatly among different groups, and the behavior of use or continuous use is influenced by many factors which are differently important in different application scenarios. We are not yet sufficiently aware of the extent to which different consumer groups and demographic characteristics affect the acceptance of the IHMS system as well as the application effects. OBJECTIVE The objective of this research is to study the the influencing factors of different populations (the elderly and non-elderly), populations with chronic and non-chronic diseases, and different demographic characteristics on the continuous use of the IHMS system in different application scenarios, and the difference in the influence on their quality of life (QoL) after continuous use. METHODS A new healthcare acceptance model is conceptualized by combining factors of different theories, for example, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) based on the existing framework, Technology Preparation (TP), plus Quality-Value-Satisfaction (QVS intermediary chain) and technology anxiety. To verify this model, field investigations were carried out on actual users, 234 copies of valid investigation data were generated, and multi-group partial least square path analysis was applied to the data investigation. RESULTS A direct effect exists among the perceived ease of use (β=0.188,P = 0.002), usefulness (β=0.131, P = 0.003) and continuous use behavior. Meanwhile, the influencing results of the contributing factors, inhibiting factors and QVS chain are (β=0.446, 0.427 and 0.400, P =0.000, 0.000, 0.000) and (β= -0.368, -0.388, -0.453, P =0.000, 0.000, 0.000), the results of the QVS chain and continuous use behavior are (β=0.338, 0.112, 0.156, P =0.000,0.039,0.013), demonstrating that the QVS chain plays an intermediate effect between the technical preparation and continuous use behavior. Moreover, the continuous use behavior further produces positive influence on the users' QoL (β = 0.629, P =0.000), while the technology anxiety produces negative influence on the relationship between the QVS chain and continuous use behavior (β = -0.029, -0.122, -0.135, P =0.10460.0002, 0.0016). It can be concluded that the relationship is influenced negatively by the technology anxiety. CONCLUSIONS This is one of the first batch of researches for investigation into consumers' continuous use of the IHMS system by combining the two theories of TAM and TP from the perspective of different populations, application scenarios and demographic characteristics. This provides a theoretical and methodological basis for future research, produces actual significance to Chinese suppliers’ development and promotion of IHMS systems with proper functions in different countries, and facilitates enterprises to be aware of the importance of users’ acceptance and use of new technologies