Trust factors in healthcare technology: a healthcare professional perspective

Being able to trust technology is of vital importance to its potential users. This is particularly true within the healthcare sector where lives increasingly depend on the correct application of technology to support clinical decision-making. Despite the risk posed by improper use of technology in the healthcare domain, there is a lack of research that examines why healthcare professionals trust healthcare technology. Therefore, there is little evidence regarding the key trust facilitators and barriers. In this paper, we investigate the concept of trust within a healthcare technology context. We conducted a systematic mapping study to identify relevant trust facilitators and barriers in published work in well-known bibliographic databases. Our results present a synthesis of 47 studies that describe trust factors that healthcare professionals associate with healthcare technology. Facilitators include compatibility and perceived systems usefulness, while barriers include privacy concerns and lack of knowledge. We conclude that HCT trust is complex, multi-dimensional, and influenced by a variety of factors at individual and organizational levels.