Internal factors that favor the adoption of technological innovation defined by information systems: a study of the electronic health record

Abstract

Research into the adoption of technological innovations often evaluates the features that users engage with when using these innovations (Leal and Albertin, 2015, Perez, 2006, Perez and Zwicker, 2010). In this research, we identified the internal factors affecting the adoption of a technological innovation, as defined by information systems (IS) in healthcare, the electronic health record, and evaluated the results of adoption for individuals and groups using this system. We opted for a study in a hospital in Porto Alegre-Rio Grande do Sul, with mother and child specialties. Quantitative techniques were selected, questionnaires with users of the electronic health record, physicians, administrators, nurses, and technicians. We used a multivariate statistical technique of structural equation modeling, using the statistical software SmartPLS^®. The survey results indicated that some internal variables to the health sector, such as communication, the participatory process and the form of decision for innovation can contribute effectively to the adoption of technological innovations. The proposed model also served to evaluate the results achieved with the adoption of this IS, which is realized through the following: the introduction of new processes; improvement of the existing ones; easier access to patient information, and creating new solutions for customers. Before the system, these were not possible to implement.