Organizational factors affecting successful adoption of innovative eHealth services: A case study employing the FITT framework

• Published in: International journal of medical informatics (Shannon, Ireland) Vol. 78; no. 1; pp. 39 - 52
• Main Authors: Tsiknakis, Manolis, Kouroubali, Angelina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01-01-2009
• Subjects: Computer Simulation; Cooperative Behavior; eHealth; Emergency Medical Services; FITT framework; Hospital Information Systems; Humans; Internal Medicine; Medical Informatics - methods; Medical Informatics - organization & administration; Medical Records; Organizational issues in health IS implementation; Other; Primary Health Care; Regional Health Information Networks; Social and organizational aspects of implementing eHealth services; Technology adoption; Technology adoption; FITT framework; Social and organizational aspects of implementing eHealth services; Organizational issues in health IS implementation; eHealth; Regional Health Information Networks
• ISSN: 1386-5056; 1872-8243
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2008.07.001

Abstract Objective The paper presents an application of the “Fit between Individuals, Task and Technology” (FITT) framework to analyze the socio-organizational-technical factors that influence IT adoption in the healthcare domain. Method The FITT framework was employed as the theoretical instrument for a retrospective analysis of a 15-year effort in implementing IT systems and eHealth services in the context of a Regional Health Information Network in Crete. Quantitative and qualitative research methods, interviews and participant observations were employed to gather data from a case study that involved the entire region of Crete. Results The detailed analysis of the case study based on the FITT framework, showed common features, but also differences of IT adoption within the various health organizations. The emerging picture is a complex nexus of factors contributing to IT adoption, and multi-level interventional strategies to promote IT use. Conclusion The work presented in this paper shows the applicability of the FITT framework in explaining the complexity of aspects observed in the implementation of healthcare information systems. The reported experiences reveal that fit management can be viewed as a system with a feedback loop that is never really stable, but ever changing based on external factors or deliberate interventions. Management of fit, therefore, becomes a constant and complex task for the whole life cycle of IT systems.