Abstract:
Abstract
Introduction: Ethiopia is one of the top five diabetes mellitus burdened countries in SubSaharan
Africa. Diabetes disease requires continuous medical attention. Thus, digital
solutions like Wearable devices could facilitate continuous health monitoring by assessing
patients’ physiological parameters to minimize serious complications. However, paucity
of evidence of patients’ intention to use such technologies in resource-limited settings.
Objective: This study aimed to assess DM patients' intentions to use wearable health
devices and its predictors in Amhara Region Referral Hospitals, Ethiopia.
Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 19 to
June 23, 2022, in Amhara Region Referral Hospitals, Ethiopia. A total of 883 diabetic
patients participated in the study. We used a systematic random sampling technique to
select the study participants. We used the kobocollect app for data collection and data
were exported to SPSS version 25 for further analysis. A median score was used to
assess the proportion of intention. A SEM analysis was employed to test, the proposed
model and the relationships among predictors using AMOS version 26 software.
Result: The proportion of diabetic patients’ intention to use WHDs was 47.1%, 95%CI
(43.7- 50.5). The SEM analysis had shown that performance expectancy (? =0.306,
P<0.01), effort expectancy (?=0.543, P<0.01), facilitating condition (?=0.131, P<0.05),
and habit (?=0.093, P<0.05) had a positive direct relationship with intention to use WHDs.
However, it had no significant relationship with price value, hedonic motivation, and social
influence. Age (?= 0.439, p-value <0.001) and gender (?= 0.780, p-value <0.001) were
also a moderator in the relationship of performance expectancy and effort expectancy
with intention to use WHDs respectively.
Conclusion and recommendation: The overall proportion of DM patients’ intention to
use wearable devices was promising. Performance expectancy, facilitating condition, and
habit had a positive direct effect on an intention to use WHDs, and effort expectancy
played a major role in determining patients’ intention to use it. Thus, the implementers
need to give priority to enhancing, the provision of devices, patients’ skills, and knowledge
of WHDs by giving continuous support to improve patients’ intention to use it.
Keywords: Intention, Wearable Health Devices, Diabetes Mellitus, Ethiopia
