Understanding Physicians' Acceptance of Computerized Physician Order Entry

Abstract

Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) holds potential of reducing medical errors, improving care quality, and cutting healthcare costs. Yet its success depends on physicians’ acceptance and usage. We test if TAM can be used to explain physician acceptance of CPOE. A survey study was conducted on physicians who have access to CPOE in a large general hospital in China. Data analyses based on 103 responses support all of the relationships predicted by TAM except the one between perceived ease of use and attitude. With additional data analyses, we find that the PEOU-attitude relationship is negatively moderated by physicians’ experience of using CPOE. PEOU does not affect attitude for experienced physicians, whereas when physicians are inexperienced, PEOU has a positive impact on attitude. Our findings suggest that TAM can be applied to explain physicians’ acceptance of CPOE, yet its application should be performed with caution.