“Understanding the effects of age, tenure, skill, and gender on employee perceptions of healthcare information technology within a Middle Eastern Hospital

مقال فى مجلة

2015

There has been little health information technology (HIT) quality improvement analysis conducted in Middle Eastern hospitals. This is mainly due to a lack of sufficient technological infrastructure, which is directly related to cultural issues. Because of the cultural differences, studies conducted from Western cultures may not apply to Middle Eastern hospitals. This study sought to analyze the impact of training, skill, and usage level; gender; age; and employment tenure on the perceived benefits and barriers of HIT at the largest, most-technologically advanced hospital in Saudi Arabia. The study relied on statistical analysis of survey data through principal component and regression analysis, and a Duncan's multiple range test was also used to determine mean differences among independent variables. The survey was administered to 623 healthcare providers. For outcomes, the principal component analysis identified benefits and barriers of HIT: benefits included thirteen questions with a Cronbach's alpha loading of 0.91, and barriers included eight questions with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.88. The results included a statistically significant finding of generational effects on the perception of HIT benefits with mixed findings in terms of age groups. Employees with longer tenure perceived fewer HIT benefits and more barriers. Higher levels of training had a significant relationship for benefits and barriers; use yielded varied results. Additionally, females perceived more benefits and fewer barriers than males. Overall, we recommend a specific training cycle to maximize impactful perceptions of HIT to further improve healthcare quality as the organization seeks to further implement HIT in its operational structure.