Research Forecasting for Health Information Technology (HIT), using technology intelligence

Abstract

Due to the rapid pace of change in technology and its impact on society, there is an increasing demand for use of Technology Forecasting methods to improve policy planning and implementation. One such area is the field of Health Care and the impact of Health Information Technology (HIT) on this field. Using HIT has shown to be associated with reduced cost, improved quality, and better patient experience; yet HIT adoption has been slow. Therefore, there is a need to better understand the HIT adoption processes in order to meet the evolving requirements for health care delivery.We propose collecting Technology Intelligence for use in Research Forecasting as part of the larger HIT Technology Forecasting efforts. In this study, we systematically probed for HIT-related technology intelligence in the fields of Information Systems, Engineering Management, and Medical Informatics. Results of our analysis show that all three fields are active in Health IT research, but could benefit from further collaboration. We were also able to identify instances of emerging journals and emerging topics in Health IT research. We conclude that it is indeed plausible and meaningful to collect technology intelligence on HIT adoption, to support the overall goal of improving healthcare delivery.