Organizational E-Readiness for the Digital Transformation of Primary Healthcare Providers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many countries to implement a variety of restrictive measures to prevent it from spreading more widely, including the introduction of medical teleconsultations and the use of various tools in the field of inpatient telemedicine care. Digital technologies provide a wide range of treatment options for patients, and at the same time pose a number of organizational challenges for medical entities. Therefore, the question arises of whether organizations are ready to use modern telemedicine tools during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this article is to examine two factors that impact the level of organizational e-readiness for digital transformation in Polish primary healthcare providers (PHC). The first factor comprises operational capabilities, which are the sum of valuable, scarce, unique, and irreplaceable resources and the ability to use them. The second factor comprises technological capabilities, which determine the adoption and usage of innovative technologies. Contrary to the commonly analyzed impacts of technology on operational capabilities, we state the reverse hypothesis. The verification confirms the significant influence of operational capabilities on technological capabilities. The research is conducted using a questionnaire covering organizational e-readiness for digital transformation prepared by the authors. Out of the 32 items examined, four are related to the operational capabilities and four to the technological capabilities. The result of our evaluation shows that: (i) a basic set of four variables can effectively measure the dimensions of OC, namely the degree of agility, level of process integration, quality of resources, and quality of cooperation; (ii) a basic set of three variables can effectively measure the dimensions of TC, namely adoption and usage of technologies, customer interaction, and process automation; (iii) the empirical results show that OC is on a higher level than TC in Polish PHCs; (iv) the assessment of the relationship between OC and TC reveals a significant influence of operational capabilities on technological capabilities with a structural coefficient of 0.697. We recommend increasing the level of technological capability in PHC providers in order to improve the contact between patients and general practitioners (GPs) via telemedicine in lockdown conditions.

Experiences With a Postpartum mHealth Intervention During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Key Informant Interviews Among Patients, Health Care Providers, and Stakeholders

“…In particular, the informatics project leader spoke of the loss of historical knowledge transfer from the original vendor team to the new team as the key barrier to resolving the implementation issues. This assessment is supported in the literature, in that operational capabilities such as the degree of agility, quality of resources, and quality of cooperation can be more significant than technological capabilities for organizational e-readiness for digital transformation [ 43 ].…”

“…Successful digital technology implementation requires organizational readiness for change with a sustainable organizational leadership commitment to ensure the allocation of a dedicated budget and personnel for the project [ 43 , 46 ]. On the basis of the feedback from stakeholders in this study, the possibility of a larger implementation of mHealth in other hospital services is more likely to occur, requiring sustained organizational commitment, e-readiness, and support.…”

“…On the basis of the feedback from stakeholders in this study, the possibility of a larger implementation of mHealth in other hospital services is more likely to occur, requiring sustained organizational commitment, e-readiness, and support. The significant influence of operational capabilities rather than technological capabilities has been suggested as a key feature of organizational e-readiness [ 43 ]. Unfortunately, the assessment of organizational e-readiness before implementation has proved elusive during the pandemic.…”

Organizational e-Health Readiness: How to Prepare the Primary Healthcare Providers’ Services for Digital Transformation

“…To better understand the relationship between organizational and technological capabilities, we subjected it to a separate Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), which both confirmed it unequivocally. The results of the EFA and CFA analyses have been published in [ 4 ].…”

“…Current Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the field of telemedicine and the daily use of mobile applications by patients proved helpful with this issue [ 2 ]. The described situation also sheds new light on the lack of readiness of primary healthcare (PHC) organizations to use technological solutions, which had to be implemented within days, and not months or years [ 3 , 4 ]. Conventional health services have been replaced by remote and ICT technology-powered medical services aiming to ensure continuity of care processes [ 5 ].…”