E-Health Readiness Assessment Tools for Healthcare Institutions in Developing Countries

Abstract

e-Health Readiness refers to the preparedness of healthcare institutions or communities for the anticipated change brought by programs related to Information and Communications Technology (ICT). This paper presents e-Health Readiness assessment tools developed for healthcare institutions in developing countries. The objectives of the overall study were to develop e-health readiness assessment tools for public and private healthcare institutions in developing countries, and to test these tools in Pakistan. Tools were developed using participatory action research to capture partners' opinions, reviewing existing tools, and developing a conceptual framework based on available literature on the determinants of access to e-health. Separate tools were developed for managers and for healthcare providers to assess e-health readiness within their institutions. The tools for managers and healthcare providers contained 54 and 50 items, respectively. Each tool contained four categories of readiness. The items in each category were distributed into sections, which either represented a determinant of access to e-health, or an important aspect of planning. The conceptual framework, and the validity and reliability testing of these tools are presented in separate papers. e-Health readiness assessment tools for healthcare providers and managers have been developed for healthcare institutions in developing countries.