A Closer Look at the Social Influence Construct in the UTAUT Model: An Institutional Theory Based Approach to Investigate Health IT Adoption Patterns of the Elderly

This study aims to investigate and improve understanding of the social influence construct in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model that influence patient portal use behavior among the elderly. Underpinned by institutional theory, our proposed model examines the three social environmental factors of normative, mimetic, and coercive forces within the health Information Technology (HIT) context. The proposed model was tested using an empirical study of 117 subjects in the United States. Using the partial least squares method, the study found empirical support that normative and mimetic pressures significantly influence patient portal use behavior when mediated by behavioral intention. Coercive pressure is found to have a direct effect on patient portal use behavior when not mediated by behavioral intention. These findings signal that social influences just partially influence behavioral intention and in part they directly influence the use behavior. A revised UTAUT model social influence section is introduced.