Predicting intention to use evidence-based management among U.S. healthcare administrators: Application of the theory of planned behavior and structural equation modeling

Evidence-based management (EBMgt) is considered the best practice in decision-making for healthcare administrators. However, the adoption of EBMgt has been slow by U.S. healthcare administrators. Few studies have examined what influences healthcare administrators’ behaviors toward the use of EBMgt in today’s U.S. health system. The purpose of this study was to apply the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to predict intention to use EBMgt among U.S. healthcare administrators. A cross-sectional, non-experimental study was conducted, using a two-stage cluster sample of 154 health leaders in U.S. healthcare organizations. The data were collected and entered into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0. SEM was performed using Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) 22.0. The study findings showed that healthcare administrators’ intention to use EBMgt was statistically and significantly predicted by their attitudes (β = 0.55) and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.38) at the significance level of <0.001. The results also showed that education positively moderated the relationship between attitudes and intention to use EBMgt (P < 0.001). The findings suggest that the TPB is a useful theory model for predicating healthcare administrators’ behavioral intention to use EBMgt.