ESCP-EAP European School of Management

Acceptance of Ambient Intelligence in Hospitals

I investigate the adaption of pervasive and mobile technologies in hospitals for reducing errors in treatment. In a former research project, I analyzed the factors influencing the acceptance of wireless and pervasive technologies at three German hospitals using a qualitative approach. The findings lead me to the hypothesis that cultural influences extensively determine the acceptance and the adoption processes. Especially differences in perceived usefulness could be explained by the cultural dimensions of the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) study. In my dissertation I substantiate and test hypotheses about these influences and the consequential differences in Germany and Australia in a mixed methods design. Thereby, investigate the following questions: Which benefits (e.g. reducing the errors in treatment) could be gained through pervasive and mobile technologies? Which components influence the user acceptance of such systems? Which components differ between the countries? How could the acceptance be influenced through the management of the hospital? How much will it cost to implement the system and which barriers must be taken into account? How will the problems due to acceptance influence the healthcare sector of a country in the long term?