Management of information technology and quality performance in health care facilities

The objective of the research was to investigate the moderating effect of IT infrastructure on the relationship between management of health care information and quality performance in health care departments. Variables measured included manager perceptions of quality, management of health care information (MOHCI), and IT intrastructure. In addition, customer perceptions of quality performance were also investigated. Ninety-one managers and 104 customers from a convenience sample of ten health care facilities in Pennsylvania participated in the survey. Health care departments were the units of analysis investigated. Among the participating health care facilities two major teaching institutions with open heart and trauma units, a kidney dialysis center, a provider of hospice education and information, and six community and primary health care providers. The size of the institutions range from 50 beds to more than 600 beds. Good variation in terms of size, types, and nature of tasks resulted from this convenience sample. One or more functional departments was investigated at all ten institutions. These departments included pharmacy, respiratory, laboratory, nursing, emergency, medical records, surgery, pulmonary, pediatrics, nuclear medicine and X-ray services. These eleven departments typically exist at all facilities. This research focused on the determinants of departmental quality. This study conceptualized and developed measures for quality, MOHCI, and IT infrastructure variables. A significant relationship was found between the management of health care information and quality performance. IT infrastructure was proposed to have a moderating effect on quality performance. However, this study found IT infrastructure to have a direct effect upon quality performance. Significant differences were found between customer and manager perceptions of quality.