The rapid expansion of digital healthcare technologies has accelerated the adoption of smartwatches and mobile health applications; however, empirical evidence explaining patient adoption behavior in rapidly digitalizing healthcare systems such as Saudi Arabia remains limited. This study examines the determinants influencing patients’ intention to use smartwatches and healthcare mobile applications by applying an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 418 participants with prior experience using wearable or mobile health technologies, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results reveal that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, and facilitating conditions significantly and positively influence users’ attitudes toward digital healthcare technologies, while attitude toward use strongly predicts behavioral intention. The findings extend TAM by demonstrating the combined role of individual perceptions and contextual support factors in shaping digital health adoption in an emerging national digital health ecosystem. These results provide actionable implications for healthcare policymakers, system developers, and service providers seeking to accelerate the adoption of wearable and mobile health technologies and support national digital health transformation initiatives.
Albarq et al. (Fri,) studied this question.