Towards a Research Agenda on Cultural Influences on the Acceptance of Ambient Intelligence in Medical Environments

Ambient intelligence facilitates the performance of medical staff in health care services, but these technologies also create surveillance concerns. Little prior attention has centered on such issues. Based on 16 in-depth interviews, this article identifies various problems associated with users’ acceptance of such systems, though these results conflict with prior contributions from other countries, especially Denmark. Applying the TAM and the cultural dimensions of the GLOBE study, this investigation also identifies cultural influences that may explain those differences. The findings thus lead to specific hypotheses proposing a research agenda regarding how national culture influences the users’ acceptance of ambient systems in medical environments.