Personalization-Privacy Paradox: Personal Health Information Context

Abstract

While healthcare institutions continue to invest in personal health information (PHI) capabilities, consumers are increasingly becoming concerned about the use and storage of PHI. At the same time, consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the benefits that accrue from the use of PHI –i.e., the benefits of getting personalized healthcare. We use the Information Boundary Theory (IBT) to examine the effect of this tension–personalization-privacy paradox-on consumers’ willingness to share PHI. We contextualize the theoretical model by integrating the role of discrete contextual factors at play – trust in the electronic medium, information type, requesting stakeholder, and health status. In doing so, our research contributes to theory as well as practice. We expand and enrich the IBT by contextualizing it to the healthcare domain. The research contributes to practice by providing insights that can be used as a guide to craft healthcare IT implementation policy. Our/my research also addresses IS communities’ call for more research on consumer perspective