Title: Determining the constituents for the advancement of healthcare wearable technologies in Oman

Authors: Ali Al-Badi; Asharul Khan

Addresses: Academic Affairs and Research, Gulf College, P.O. Box 885, Al Khuwair, Muscat, P.C.133, Sultanate of Oman ' Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33 AlKhodh, Muscat, P.C.123, Sultanate of Oman

Abstract: The revolution in information and communication technology has made it easy to innovate and deliver new products and services in the healthcare sectors. The wearable devices fall under such category. They are multi-functional and wearable on the body. They have been extensively studied and implemented in Western countries, but the research on such devices has not received much attention in countries like Oman. In addition, the healthcare institutions in a number of Asian countries are not fully aware of the benefits of wearable devices. This research consisted of conducting an empirical study on the current use, awareness, and challenges to the advancement of wearable devices/technologies in the healthcare sector inside Oman. The responses from 149 healthcare stakeholders were collected through an online-administered questionnaire. The study further discusses the effectiveness, applicability, and corresponding applications of wearable technologies in the healthcare sector, besides assessing the prospects for such technologies in Oman.

Keywords: wearable technologies; wearable technologies adoption; wearable technologies acceptance; healthcare wearable technologies; wearable devices; technology adoption; developing countries; Oman.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEH.2020.113200

International Journal of Electronic Healthcare, 2020 Vol.11 No.2, pp.136 - 156

Accepted: 13 Nov 2020
Published online: 23 Feb 2021 *

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