Patients’ perceptions of privacy and their outcomes in healthcare

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.