Abstract
As developing countries migrate to electronic healthcare (e-health) systems, emerging case studies suggest concerns are being raised about the privacy and security of personal health information (PHI) (e.g., Bedeley & Palvia, 2014; Willyard, 2010). However, there is lack of consideration of PHI privacy in the development of e-health systems in these countries as developers and policy makers assume that individuals are in greater need of healthcare and may not care about issues such as privacy (Policy Engagement Network [PEN], 2010). To better understand these assumptions and concerns individuals may have about the digitization of their PHI, this study examined individuals’ privacy concerns regarding the use of electronic health record (EHR) systems by hospitals for storing and managing PHI. A survey was conducted on a sample of 276 individuals in Ghana, a Sub-Saharan African country. We analysed the dataset using t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Contradicting the assumption underlying e-health systems development, the results demonstrated that whilst individuals are less concerned about the collection of their PHI by hospitals, they are highly concerned about unauthorised secondary use, errors, and unauthorize access regarding their PHI stored in EHR systems. These concerns are especially greater for individuals with high computer experience and those who are extremely concerned about their health. Furthermore, compared with women and older individuals (35 years or older), men and younger individuals (aged 18-24) are more concerned about the collection of their PHI by hospitals. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Adu, Ernest K.; Todorova, Nelly; and Mills, Annette, "Do Individuals in Developing Countries Care about Personal Health Information Privacy? An Empirical Investigation" (2019). CONF-IRM 2019 Proceedings. 16.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/confirm2019/16