Learning how to effectively use digital health technology in hospitals: A qualitative study of the Division of Surgery in an Australian public hospital.

BACKGROUND

Hospitals have been struggling to effectively and meaningfully act on data from digital health technologies, compromising their ability to transform into learning health systems. However, the existing literature offers limited guidance on how to improve the effective use of these technologies.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this article are to identify: (i) the factors that can hinder the effective use of digital health technologies; and (ii) the learning mechanisms that can improve the effective use of digital health technologies in hospital settings.

METHOD: A qualitative study embedded in the Division of Surgery of an Australian public hospital was performed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants across different professions. The interviews were deductively analysed using an a priori developed classification framework.

RESULTS

The effective use of digital health technologies is hindered by deficits in individual capabilities (n = 3), organisational capabilities (n = 6), and system capabilities (n = 4). To improve upon these capability deficits, targeted learning mechanisms can be used.

CONCLUSION

Effective use of digital health technologies is influenced by individual, organisational, and technical system capabilities, which can be improved through comprehensive, proactive and reactive learning efforts. To improve the effective use of digital health technologies in support of broader transformation efforts, five recommendations for healthcare organisations were distilled.Implications for health information management practice:Healthcare organisations embarking on digital transformation should: (i) rethink traditional roles and responsibilities; (ii) redesign ill-suited workflows and models of care; (iii) create and embed robust data governance; (iv) optimise their digital health technologies on an ongoing basis; and (v) build a data-driven culture to foster clinical engagement.