Intentions of Physicians to use Wikis for Professionalization

Abstract

The growing amount of medical knowledge is reason to explore new methods for knowledge management in healthcare. Wikis are a promising technology for this purpose, because they allow professionals to share information with each other. In this thesis the intentions of physicians towards using wikis for their professionalization is studied. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) proposes several determinants for predicting behavioral intention (Venkatesh & Bala, 2008). An adapted version of the TAM3 survey about wiki perceptions was completed by 71 physicians (N = 71). Mann-Whitney U tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests were conducted to compare results between age groups, gender, working experience and functions. Spearman correlations and the results of a multiple regression analysis were analyzed to find the strongest predictors of behavioral intention, perceived usefulness and ease of use. Results showed physicians’ intentions towards using wikis for sharing knowledge with other professionals were mostly neutral. Between groups only perceptions of usefulness between junior doctors and medical specialists differed significantly. Only perceived usefulness was found to be a unique significant predictor for behavioral intention. Perceived usefulness was significantly predicted by ease of use and job relevance. External control and enjoyment, moderated by experience, predicted ease of use. The results of this study indicate which factors deserve most attention when designing or choosing wikis for learning. Recommendations for future research include extending this research to a more varied scale of participants and investigating adaptions of the TAM3 model so it fits modern technologies better.