The effect of the privacy policy of Health Information Exchange (HIE) on patients' information disclosure intention

Health Information Exchanges (HIES) enable personal information sharing between providers. Patients' information disclosure intention is critical for a successful rollout of HIE networks. Existing studies mostly demonstrate that perceived privacy policy only influences the cognitive beliefs of patients about disclosing health information. However, little is know whether it also affects the emotion provoked by the sharing nature of the technology. Based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), the technology adoption literature, and the trust literature, we theoretically explain and empirically test the impacts of perceived transparency of privacy policy on cognitive trust and emotional trust in an HIE, and the effects of trust dimensions on the intention to disclose health information. An online survey was conducted using data from individuals who were aware of HIE through experiences with a (or multiple) providers participating in an HIE network. The SEM analysis results provide empirical support for the proposed model. The model highlights the critical role of perceived transparency of privacy policy in building trust in HIE. Findings suggest that awareness about HIE security measures and sharing procedures encourages patients to be cognitively and emotionally involved with the HIE system. Consequently, when the trust is formed, they become more likely to disclose health information. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.