Assessing hospital readiness for radio frequency identification device implementation in Iran: a conceptual model
Article Category: Original article
Published Online: Oct 24, 2019
Page range: 245 - 254
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/abm-2019-0027
Keywords
© 2018 Malihe Sadeghi et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.
Background
To avoid possible failures and ineffective use of economic resources, necessary infrastructure must be provided before implementing new technologies in a developing country like Iran.
Objectives
To assess the degree of readiness for implementing a radio frequency identification device (RFID) system in hospitals in Iran.
Methods
We adopted a descriptive design and structural equation modeling (LISREL statistical software package) to analyze data collected from the hospitals affiliated with the Semnan University of Medical Sciences. All managers, physicians, residents, nurses, and staff members of the medical records and information technology sectors participated in this study. A questionnaire was designed by the investigators to collect ideas from the participants about organizational readiness, cultural readiness, and human resource readiness in implementing RFID.
Results
We found a significant positive correlation between the variables studied. Human resource readiness significantly predicted RFID implementation, with cultural readiness playing the role of a mediator variable. Cultural readiness itself was influenced by organizational readiness (
Conclusions
Paying attention to cultural factors, which play an important role in implementing technological projects such as RFID in developing countries like Iran, can reduce the risk of failure. Hospitals should strengthen organizational factors and improve the support of top rank managers when implementing technological projects. By so doing, they will promote cultural readiness, prepare human resources, and win the cooperation of personnel for such projects.