Resistance To eHealth Plans: Why Is There Resistance To eHealth?

Resistance to E-Health Plans
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Resistance to E-Health Plans
The technological wave in the past 20 years has led to changes in different fields including the medical field. Today, the integration of technology in the medical field is seen as a great addition and an effective way to help address the ailing medical field. The U.S. healthcare system, for example, is plagued with a lot of issues and the adoption and integration of IT in the field is seen as a great addition. This use of ICT in the medical field is known as eHealth according to World Health Organization (2019). eHealth units around the world and in the U.S. work together to help ensure the adoption and implementation of ICT in healthcare. There are several concerns within the U.S. healthcare sector that eHealth is believed will help alleviate. In their 2003 article, McGlynn et al. (2003) note that in the U.S., adults receive close to half of what their recommended health service should be. Additionally, there is also the issue of there being millions of Americans who end up as statistics of preventable adverse drug events. The expectation with regards to eHealth is that it may end up helping alleviate some of these problems. Another concern in the U.S. healthcare sector and one in which implementing eHealth may help is the cost or healthcare spending. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (2018), “U.S. healthcare spending grew 3.9 percent in 2017, reaching $3.5 trillion or $10,739 per person.” The statement continues to state that “as a share of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, health spending accounted for 17.9 percent.” Those who have faith in eHealth believe that it can help alleviate the above issues. However, as with any innovation, there is always resistance. With eHealth plans, resistance is a common phenomenon, and it causes problems for the HR professionals. People resist that which they do not know or understand or that which they believe will change their environment or how they have been accustomed to their working environment. This article will thus address issues of resistance and how they impact HR professionals with regards to the implementation of eHealth plans.
Why is there resistance to eHealth?
Digital health is indeed here to stay. The medical field is changing and will continue to change as newer and better technological innovations are adopted. However, the main challenge is resistance which often derails the goals of innovation. But the question people have to ask is why do physicians and medical staff resist technology? Why do they find it difficult to adopt or be a part of the technological wave? Well, below are some pointers that can help explain.
* The first reason would be the likelihood of the eHealth systems being misused or hacked – the implementation of eHealth means that hospitals will be using computer systems which can be susceptible to attacks from outside. It is possible that hackers may target a hospital’s system or that the staff members can misuse information stored in the systems. Hospital staff are always wary of the possibility of having their systems hacked and having their information and that of their patients exposed. So, i...