Continuous usage intention of mobile health services: model construction and validation

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Information Systems
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Continuous usage of mobile health (mHealth) services is essential for achieving optimal health management outcomes.
• Short-term use of mHealth services limits their potential value.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore factors influencing continuous usage intentions of mHealth services.
• To investigate the mechanism of action for these influencing factors.
• To construct and validate an extended Expectation Confirmation Model of Information System Continuance (ECM-ISC) for mHealth.

Main Methods:

• Developed an extended ECM-ISC model incorporating individual characteristics, technology, and environment.
• Employed a survey method with validated instruments and expert discussion for questionnaire development.
• Collected data online and offline, analyzing it using structural equation modeling.

Main Results:

• The validated model demonstrated strong explanatory power, accounting for significant variance in key constructs.
• Electronic health literacy positively influenced perceived usefulness, service quality, and information quality.
• Subjective norm positively impacted perceived service and information quality, while also directly influencing continuous usage intention.

Conclusions:

• A novel theoretical model was established and validated, highlighting the importance of e-health literacy, subjective norm, and technology quality.
• mHealth app managers and governments should focus on enhancing e-health literacy, subjective norm, perceived information quality, and perceived service quality.
• The findings provide a theoretical and practical foundation for mHealth product development and research.