Qualitative analysis of healthcare information technology using a novel short-form questionnaire in a UK district hospital

Abstract

Background/Aims Healthcare technology is a rapidly expanding field, with the potential to substantially increase the quality and efficiency of care delivery. Despite this, there is no standardised method of assessing the quality of hardware and software information technology (IT) used by frontline healthcare workers. The study aimed to evaluate doctors' perspectives of the IT systems in place at their hospital, with a view to informing wider improvements to healthcare IT. Methods A six-item questionnaire was designed to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the perspectives of clinicians working in a UK hospital regarding the IT at their workplace; this study focused on the qualitative results only. The survey was distributed via the institution's intranet to all contracted doctors at the hospital. Respondents were asked to make up to three comments about the IT systems. Results were classified as positive, negative, neutral suggestion or unusable, and thematic analysis was used to identify themes. Descriptive statistics were used to explore differences between respondents of different levels of seniority (consultant vs junior doctor) and area of specialty. Results A total of 196 doctors completed the questionnaires, of whom 104 were consultants and 92 were junior doctors. A total of 535 comments were made, of which 340 (63.6%) were negative and only 47 (8.8%) were positive. The three most common themes were: speed and ease of use; software and hardware; and integration of systems. Junior doctors gave a higher proportion of negative comments than consultants, while those working in the emergency department, intensive care or anaesthetics gave a lower proportion of negative comments than those working in other specialties. Conclusions Respondents had a largely negative view of the IT systems in place in their hospital. Further evaluation is needed to assess the quality of NHS IT systems on a wider scale, using insights from clinicians to identify and address issues.