Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Walter R. McCollum

Abstract

The U.S. Congress has made health information technology a central component of the national quest to improve health care delivery. The problem addressed in this study was the uncertainty among healthcare providers regarding the benefits of health care information technology adoption relative to healthcare delivery processes and outcomes. The purpose of the study was to understand the effectiveness of information technology as perceived by healthcare providers. The research questions were designed to investigate the relationship between health information technology and organizational effectiveness, exchange of information, organizational process, organizational productivity, and direct personal care. Sociotechnical systems theory and Donabedian's framework for health care quality evaluation were the theoretical bases for this quantitative study. Data were provided through anonymous online survey of 116 healthcare workers, and analyzed using multiple regression and Spearman's correlation coefficient. The results of the study showed a statistically significant positive correlation between organizational effectiveness, organizational exchange of information, organizational process, organizational productivity, and healthcare information technology. No statistically significant correlation existed between personal care and health information technology. These findings suggest that providers' frequent use of healthcare information technology, like telemedicine, makes patients less involved. The implications for social change include enabling healthcare providers to develop an efficient and effective way to engage with patients, in order to achieve effective patient-centered organization.

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