Showing papers by "Paul Jen-Hwa Hu published in 2001"

Information technology acceptance by individual professionals: a model comparison approach

Abstract: The proliferation of innovative and exciting information technology applications that target individual “professionals” has made the examination or re-examination of existing technology acceptance theories and models in a “professional” setting increasingly important. The current research represents a conceptual replication of several previous model comparison studies. The particular models under investigation are the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and a decomposed TPB model, potentially adequate in the targeted healthcare professional setting. These models are empirically examined and compared, using the responses to a survey on telemedicine technology acceptance collected from more than 400 physicians practicing in public tertiary hospitals in Hong Kong. Results of the study highlight several plausible limitations of TAM and TPB in explaining or predicting technology acceptance by individual professionals. In addition, findings from the study also suggest that instruments that have been developed and repeatedly tested in previous studies involving end users and business managers in ordinary business settings may not be equally valid in a professional setting. Several implications for technology acceptance/adoption research and technology management practices are discussed.

A knowledge-based system for patient image pre-fetching in heterogeneous database environments - modeling, design, and evaluation

Abstract: A radiologist often needs to reference relevant prior images of the same patient for confirmation or comparison purposes. To effectively support such needs, we developed a knowledge-based patient image pre-fetching system, addressing several challenging requirements that included representation and learning of image reference heuristics and management of data-intensive knowledge inferencing. The system demands an extensible and maintainable architecture design that is capable of effectively adapting to a dynamic environment characterized by heterogeneous and autonomous data-source systems. We developed a synthesized object-oriented entity-relationship model that is appropriate for representing radiologists' prior image reference heuristics. We detail the system architecture and design of the image pre-fetching system. Our design is based on a client-mediator-server framework that is capable of coping with a dynamic environment. To adapt to changes in prior image reference heuristics, ID3-based multi-decision-tree induction and CN2-based multi-decision induction learning techniques were developed and evaluated. We examined effects of the pre-fetching system on radiologists' examination readings. Preliminary results show that the knowledge-based patient image pre-fetching system more accurately supports patient prior image reference needs than the current practice adopted at the study site and that radiologists may become more efficient, consultatively effective and better satisfied when supported by the pre-fetching system than when relying on the study site's existing pre-fetching practice.

Investigating technology implementation in a neurosurgical teleconsultation program: a case study in Hong Kong

Abstract: Developments of telemedicine have proliferated in recent years. While healthcare organizations and individual professionals have become increasingly interested in and knowledgeable about telemedicine, its ultimate success as a viable alternative service delivery or collaboration mode requires adequate addressing of crucial issues pertaining to technological and organizational concerns. This study examined the technology implementation that has taken place in a Hong Kong-based neurosurgical teleconsultation program. Using a fairly comprehensive stage-model framework, the study analyzed the major organizational and social change activities experienced or undertaken by the host clinical department, together with key factors and their principal stakeholders. The findings of the study suggest several implications for telemedicine management and research, and these are discussed as well.

Evaluating Information Presentation Formats and Display Designs for Supporting System-User Concept Communication: An Experimental Study

Abstract: Effective visual presentation of information has become an increasing challenge in information systems research and practice. In this study, we examined the effects of information presentation on a system’s communicating to its users the respective degree of relevance of different systemsuggested items. Based on the (visual) attributes discussed by the referenced theories, different presentation displays, imagery and serial-order, were designed and evaluated in a computerbased experiment that included more than four hundred undergraduate subjects. Our overall results suggest that the imagery presentation format appears to be more effective than the serialorder presentation format in supporting the target concept communication. Imagery displays that simultaneously combine the use of size, distance and color are evidently more effective than designs based on exclusive (i.e., single) use of any of these visual attributes. Imagery displays based on size or distance appear to be more effective than color-based designs. Several implications for information presentation research and practice can be obtained from our findings and are also discussed.