An Extended UTAUT2 model to Explain the Adoption of Virtual Reality Technology in Health Centers: An Empirical Study Based in Riyadh

The adoption of new technology in any organization will represent change, and such change needs user acceptance for its successful implementation. Saudi Arabian health centers are no exception; therefore, the current study will investigate the adoption of new technology, namely that of virtual reality (VR), within health centers in Saudi Arabia and specifically in Riyadh City. This study explores the current state of VR technology adoption, factors that influence such adoption, and the extent of this technology's efficiency when it is used for vaccinating children. The data were collected from two samples: workers in vaccination clinics who responded to a survey and a group of children who participated in the VR technology experiment. The current study proposed a model based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2), with the addition of two variables: personal innovativeness and satisfaction. The results indicated that the respondents' perceptions regarding the health centers' infrastructure in terms of adopting VR were moderate. Among the factors affecting VR adoption, satisfaction, personal innovativeness, and behavioral intention were identified as vastly influential factors. From the eight hypotheses, six were found to be supported, with their factors significantly influencing behavioral intention with regard to VR technology adoption. Besides, the experiment concerning the use of VR technology on children verified the technique's high efficiency in terms of providing pain management and fear removal. These findings support the continuity of VR technology use, expand its future application fields, and integrate this study into the literature on technology acceptance models for VR adoption, as limited studies have covered this topic; consequently, this will benefit future research in this field.