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Factors affecting nurses' acceptance of a digital triage platform in primary health care in Sweden : an extended UTAUT analysis

Hermansson-Borrebaeck, Rasmus LU ; Milos-Nymberg, Veronica LU orcid ; Glock, Hanna LU ; Jakobsson, Ulf LU orcid ; Midlöv, Patrik LU orcid and Calling, Susanna LU (2026) In Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care 44(1). p.1-12
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Digital symptom checkers might help facilitate effective triage in primary healthcare. However, evidence regarding their acceptance among healthcare professionals remains limited. Identifying key factors of adoption is essential for successful integration into clinical practice.This study aims to identify factors most relevant to nurses' acceptance of a newly implemented digital triage platform and map their opinions regarding its use in Swedish primary healthcare.

METHOD: A cross-sectional quantitative survey study based on an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework was distributed to nurses involved in digital triage at 82 primary healthcare centers in Sweden. 164 registered... (More)

BACKGROUND: Digital symptom checkers might help facilitate effective triage in primary healthcare. However, evidence regarding their acceptance among healthcare professionals remains limited. Identifying key factors of adoption is essential for successful integration into clinical practice.This study aims to identify factors most relevant to nurses' acceptance of a newly implemented digital triage platform and map their opinions regarding its use in Swedish primary healthcare.

METHOD: A cross-sectional quantitative survey study based on an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework was distributed to nurses involved in digital triage at 82 primary healthcare centers in Sweden. 164 registered nurses participated. The platform, 1177-direct, is an online symptom checker used in triage. Associations between extended UTAUT constructs and 'Intention to use/recommend' were analyzed using linear regression models.

RESULTS: Nurses reported overall negative perceptions of the platform, with 61.6% expressing low 'Intention to use/recommend'. All constructs showed significant associations with 'Intention to use/recommend' in simple regressions. In the multiple regression models, 'Performance' was the strongest construct (β = 0.75 and 0.58), followed by 'Effort' in the original UTAUT model and 'Information transfer' and 'Work environment' in the extended model.

CONCLUSION: Nurses' acceptance of the digital triage platform was primarily associated with perceived improvements in work performance. While extending the UTAUT model with context-specific constructs enhanced explanatory power, results should be interpreted with caution given limitations such as cross-sectional design, construct overlap and shared method variance. The results emphasize the need for contextualized frameworks when evaluating eHealth implementation in primary healthcare.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Humans, Sweden, Triage/methods, Cross-Sectional Studies, Primary Health Care, Attitude of Health Personnel, Female, Adult, Male, Nurses/psychology, Surveys and Questionnaires, Middle Aged
in
Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care
volume
44
issue
1
article number
2676776
pages
1 - 12
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:105040085649
  • pmid:42184834
ISSN
0281-3432
DOI
10.1080/02813432.2026.2676776
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8f28f928-b026-4225-b0a0-36577b69ee0c
date added to LUP
2026-05-31 17:20:37
date last changed
2026-10-02 22:27:04
@article{8f28f928-b026-4225-b0a0-36577b69ee0c,
  abstract     = {{<p>BACKGROUND: Digital symptom checkers might help facilitate effective triage in primary healthcare. However, evidence regarding their acceptance among healthcare professionals remains limited. Identifying key factors of adoption is essential for successful integration into clinical practice.This study aims to identify factors most relevant to nurses' acceptance of a newly implemented digital triage platform and map their opinions regarding its use in Swedish primary healthcare.</p><p>METHOD: A cross-sectional quantitative survey study based on an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework was distributed to nurses involved in digital triage at 82 primary healthcare centers in Sweden. 164 registered nurses participated. The platform, 1177-direct, is an online symptom checker used in triage. Associations between extended UTAUT constructs and 'Intention to use/recommend' were analyzed using linear regression models.</p><p>RESULTS: Nurses reported overall negative perceptions of the platform, with 61.6% expressing low 'Intention to use/recommend'. All constructs showed significant associations with 'Intention to use/recommend' in simple regressions. In the multiple regression models, 'Performance' was the strongest construct (β = 0.75 and 0.58), followed by 'Effort' in the original UTAUT model and 'Information transfer' and 'Work environment' in the extended model.</p><p>CONCLUSION: Nurses' acceptance of the digital triage platform was primarily associated with perceived improvements in work performance. While extending the UTAUT model with context-specific constructs enhanced explanatory power, results should be interpreted with caution given limitations such as cross-sectional design, construct overlap and shared method variance. The results emphasize the need for contextualized frameworks when evaluating eHealth implementation in primary healthcare.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hermansson-Borrebaeck, Rasmus and Milos-Nymberg, Veronica and Glock, Hanna and Jakobsson, Ulf and Midlöv, Patrik and Calling, Susanna}},
  issn         = {{0281-3432}},
  keywords     = {{Humans; Sweden; Triage/methods; Cross-Sectional Studies; Primary Health Care; Attitude of Health Personnel; Female; Adult; Male; Nurses/psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Middle Aged}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{1--12}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care}},
  title        = {{Factors affecting nurses' acceptance of a digital triage platform in primary health care in Sweden : an extended UTAUT analysis}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02813432.2026.2676776}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/02813432.2026.2676776}},
  volume       = {{44}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}