Title: Patients' perceptions of privacy and their outcomes in healthcare

Authors: Natalia Serenko; Lida Fan

Addresses: School of Social Work, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Rd., Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada ' School of Social Work, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Rd., Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada

Abstract: The purpose of this study is two-fold: 1) to develop a measurement instrument of patient perceptions of privacy in the healthcare sector; 2) to empirically investigate the outcomes of privacy. Privacy is conceptualised as a multi-dimensional construct consisting of three theoretically independent dimensions: informational, physical, and psychological. A survey instrument was developed and subjected to extensive face validity assessment. The model was tested through a survey of 129 healthcare users in Canada by means of partial least squares. The instrument was found to be reliable and valid. Informational privacy is a key component of the overall privacy perceptions of healthcare users, followed by physical privacy. Psychological privacy has no effect on the overall privacy construct. Privacy has a strong effect on trust, which in turn affects the level of commitment, intentions to use the provider's services in the future, and engagement in positive word-of-mouth.

Keywords: patient privacy; healthcare outcomes; questionnaire; trust; commitment; word-of-mouth; WOM; patient perceptions; Canada; partial least squares PLS; information privacy; physical privacy; psychological privacy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBHR.2013.057359

International Journal of Behavioural and Healthcare Research, 2013 Vol.4 No.2, pp.101 - 122

Received: 05 Jun 2012
Accepted: 17 Jan 2013
Published online: 21 Jun 2014 *

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