Gender Differences in the Adoption and User Experience of Immersive Healthcare Technologies

Abstract

The introduction of immersive technologies, including, virtual, augmented as well as mixed reality in healthcare has revolutionized how patients interact, understand, and make decisions on diverse concerns within this sector. Despite the extensive research that has been conducted on the advantages of using immersive technology in healthcare sector, limited emphasis has been given to the role of demographic factors, particularly gender, in influencing the adoption and impact of these technologies. The present study seeks to examine the difference between men and women regarding the adoption and perception of implementation of immersive technologies in the health care sector.
Primary data collection was the basis for this research study. The total number of respondents included 530 patients across India, out of which 485 valid responses were retained after data screening and cleaning processes. A structured questionnaire was developed and used to measure key constructs including adoption, implementation perception, patient experience, decision-making support, and privacy perception using a five-point Likert scale. Gender was considered as the primary independent variable, while some inferential statistical techniques such as independent sample t-test, chi-square test, and correlation analysis were employed to test the hypotheses.
The results suggest that while women generally scored marginally higher on most measures compared to men, no statistically significant difference exists between both groups. According to the analysis carried out using the t-test and chi-square tests, gender does not significantly affect adoption, perceived implementation, experience, and intention to use immersive technology in healthcare contexts. Moreover, based on the results of the correlation analysis, there exists a strong positive association among adoption, patient experience, and decision-making.
The study concludes that there is not much significant difference in perceptions of immersive technology among various gender groups and that their effectiveness is driven more by perceived usefulness, clarity, and experiential value among other and not the demographic differences. Immersive technologies have great potential in terms of developing inclusive healthcare systems centered around patients. The study further extends the existing literature by integrating behavioral theory with healthcare application and provides practical implications for healthcare providers to focus on usability, experience and patient outcomes rather than demographic segmentation.