ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The number of health care simulation centres (HSCs) in mainland China has increased exponentially recently. However, the performance of these centres varies significantly between hospitals. The aim of this study is to address two research questions: (i) what are the critical factors for implementing high-performance HSCs and (ii) how are these critical factors used in the development of implementation strategies to achieve satisfactory performance? METHODS: Following a literature review on information technology (IT) implementation, we identified a framework comprising four key dimensions for HSCs implementation: technology, organisation, environment and individuals. This TOEI (technology-organisation-environment-individual) framework was then used as a basis for a multicentre case study through which data collection and analysis proceeded. We collected 12 one-to-one in-depth interviews alongside secondary data from six high-performance HSCs in mainland China. RESULTS: Our study identifies critical TOEI factors that collectively influence HSC implementation performance and major activities at the six high-performance HSCs. Three strategies for implementing high-performance HSCs are also identified: facility management platform, education and training centre and innovation centre. CONCLUSIONS: HSC implementation is an holistic approach. The critical TOEI factors collectively build a foundation for centre activities. An HSC's implementation strategy highly relies on organisational strategic goals. Additionally, HSCs in mainland China face some common challenges such as faculty retention and future opportunities such as expanding the research scope. Our study also provides insights for hospital leadership, medical associations and policymakers.
Subject(s)
Hospitals , Leadership , Delivery of Health Care , Faculty , Humans , Organizational ObjectivesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Many countries have implemented quarantine rules during the global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Understanding how hospitals can continue providing services in an effective manner under these circumstances is thus important. In this study, we investigate how information technology (IT) helped hospitals in mainland China better respond to the outbreak of the pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a content analysis of pages published on the websites of the top 50 hospitals in mainland China between January 22 and February 21, 2020. In total, we analyzed 368 pages that the hospitals published during the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose was to identify common themes related to the utilization of IT by these hospitals in response to the pandemic's outbreak. RESULTS: We identified 5 focal themes across the webpages published by the hospitals during our study period, including (1) popular medical science education, (2) digitalized hospital processes, (3) knowledge management for medical professionals, (4) telemedicine, and (5) new IT initiatives for healthcare services. Our analysis revealed that Chinese hospitals spent greater effort in promoting popular medical science education in the initial stages of our study period and more on telemedicine in the latter stages. DISCUSSION: We propose a configurational approach for hospitals to design response strategies to pandemic outbreaks based on their available resources. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides rich insights for hospitals to better utilize their IT resources and some recommendations for policymaker to better support hospitals in the future.
