Elsevier

Information & Management

Volume 51, Issue 1, January 2014, Pages 104-112
Information & Management

Elucidating the role of IT/IS assessment and resource allocation in IT/IS performance in hospitals

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2013.09.004Get rights and content

Abstract

Although similar to firms in other industries that strive to increase their operational efficiency by implementing IT/IS, hospitals face difficulties in obtaining the corresponding benefits of investing in IT/IS. This study investigates the relations among IT/IS performance, IT maturity, IT/IS assessment, IT/IS resource allocation, and user satisfaction in hospitals. IT/IS performance in hospitals is evaluated using a designed questionnaire, along with a case study undertaken to discuss IT/IS assessment and the effect of IT/IS on hospital procedures. The analysis results indicate that hospitals have a higher IT maturity, stronger intention to implement IT/IS assessment, and better IT/IS resource allocation capabilities than firms in other industries. Moreover, both IT/IS assessment and user satisfaction affect IT/IS performance in hospitals.

Introduction

Despite the extensive use of information technology and information systems (IT/IS) in industry, most enterprises are concerned with technical issues as well as the continuous development and acquisition of innovative and efficient devices and thus often neglect the potential benefits of effective IT/IS assessment methods [33]. As a result of the accelerated development of IT/IS in recent years, enterprises now face greater more challenges than those a decade ago [10]. Unlike industrial machinery, IT/IS affect many aspects within enterprises, including work processes, management strategies and planning, culture, and structural reorganization. Even with the numerous studies on IT/IS investment appraisals [2], [10], [27], many enterprises are still concerned with IT/IS investment. Implementing IT/IS assessment can enhance performance, highlighting the importance of using a comprehensive IT/IS assessment model [23]. Many hospitals have thus implemented IT/IS into their daily operations. However, implementing IT/IS in the medical sector is expensive, and each IT/IS investment may generate risk [18]. Medical institutions at all levels must integrate a hospital information system (HIS) into their daily operations [13]. Given the rapid growth of Internet usage and personal mobile devices, medical institutions that implement IT/IS have becomes one of the fastest growing industries in Asia Pacific, necessitating an assessment of IT/IS performance in the medical industry. Before implementing IT/IS, hospitals must use a comprehensive assessment method to examine the effectiveness of implementing IT/IS in order to ensure that they make the most efficient investment with their limited resources [20]. Therefore, this study develops a predictive model for implementing IT/IS in the medical industry in order to determine the factors affecting IT/IS performance. A comprehensive verification model is also designed. Importantly, the proposed model can identify mistakes in implementing IT/IS in the medical industry and then correct and improve upon them as well as optimize IT/IS performance.

Section snippets

IT/IS assessment

Carr [3] asserted that IT/IS resembles basic and necessary daily operations and cannot generate a competitive advantage for organizations because the popularity of implementing IT/IS might cause management crises due to over investment [2], [26], [38], [43]. IT/IS investment is unlike investment in common machinery, as IT/IS investment costs may not initially be expensive. However, expenses associated with IT/IS maintenance and upgrades might be prohibitive during the later stages of

Research method

This study evaluated IT/IS performance in hospitals using a survey questionnaire as the data collection method to investigate the relations among IT/IS performance, IT maturity, IT/IS assessment, IT/IS resource allocation, and user satisfaction. A case study was also used to more closely examine IT/IS assessment and the effect of IT/IS on hospital procedures. Combining the two methods allowed us to increase the effectiveness and reliability of our research [28]. Specifically, the quantitative

Data analysis and results

The reliability of the questionnaire was determined using Cronbach's Alpha. The questionnaire items were validated using confirmatory factor analysis, and the goodness of fit was assessed by “χ2/df,” “CFI,” “NNFI,” “NFI,” and “RFI”. The convergent validity was determined using the t-value, composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE). Lastly, the relations among variables were examined using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Conclusions of questionnaire results

The study investigated the relations among IT/IS assessment, IT maturity, IT/IS resource allocation, user satisfaction, and IT/IS performance in hospitals. Six hypothesized paths were proposed. Recommendations are made based on the results of the questionnaire and case study for the medical industry.

The results of the structural equation model (SEM) analysis support five of the six hypothesized paths. The hypothesized path in H5 cannot adequately explain why IT/IS resource allocation improves

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the National Science Council of the Republic of China, Taiwan, for financially supporting this research under Contract Nos. NSC 101-2511-S-024-011, NSC 100-2511-S-024-006, NSC 102-2511-S-024 -006, NSC 99-2511-S-024-003-MY3. The anonymous reviewers are appreciated for their valuable comments.

Prof. Hao-Chiang Koong Lin works as a department head Professor in the Department of Information and Learning Technology, National University of Tainan, Taiwan. He also worked as a CIO and department chair in MingHsin University. He received his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from National Tsing-Hua University, 1997. He has published more than 200 internationally refereed research papers focused on digital arts, affective computing, interaction design, e-commerce, e-Learning, and artificial

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    Prof. Hao-Chiang Koong Lin works as a department head Professor in the Department of Information and Learning Technology, National University of Tainan, Taiwan. He also worked as a CIO and department chair in MingHsin University. He received his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from National Tsing-Hua University, 1997. He has published more than 200 internationally refereed research papers focused on digital arts, affective computing, interaction design, e-commerce, e-Learning, and artificial Intelligence. He serves as a member of editorial review board for several international journals and many international conferences.

    Tsung-Yen Chuang is currently an Assistant Professor of the Department of Information and Learning Technology in National University of Tainan. He earned his Ph.D. degree from The Pennsylvania State University, specializing in ICT, instructional design and play theories. He chose his supporting field from the Department of Instructional Systems for his doctoral study. Currently his research focuses on digital game-based learning, intelligent systems, multimedia applications, and creativity. He serves several peer-reviewed journals and many international conferences. He has participated in more than 50 conferences/workshops as a Program Committee Member and has (co-) authored more than 90 conference and journal papers.

    I-Long Lin is currently a Professor of the Department of Information Management in Yuanpei University and the Department of Information Management in Central Police University. He earned his Ph.D. degree in Electronic and Computer Engineering from The National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. His research focuses on medical information management, cloud service and information management, cybersecurity management, cybercrime and cyberpolice, and analysis and digital evidence.

    Hsuan-Yu Chen received his M.S. degree from the Department of Information and Learning Technology in National University of Tainan. He is interesting in management science, medical administration, organizational management, and qualitative research.

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