EXPLORING THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE INTERNET OF THINGS IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS IN THE UAE USING THE UTAUT MODEL

Despite the growing interest in digital healthcare, the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in healthcare organizations, remains limited and underexplored, particularly from the patients' perspective. This research investigates the key factors influencing the deployment of IoT-based healthcare devices among end users in public hospitals across the UAE. Drawing from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), enhanced with constructs identified from existing literature, the study proposes a predictive adoption model. Data was gathered from 231 participants, and structural equation modeling was used to validate both the measurement and structural components of the model. The findings highlight that technological complexity, social influence, perceived health risks, facilitating conditions, perceived security and privacy, and relative advantages significantly shape users' attitudes (ATT), which in turn affect their behavioral intentions (BI) to adopt IoT healthcare devices. The study concludes that addressing these factors is critical for successful IoT implementation in healthcare. It contributes to Information Systems (IS) research by integrating new variables into the UTAUT model and offers practical insights for healthcare decision-makers and technology providers aiming to boost IoT adoption.