The Influence of Relational Intellectual Capital and Information Technology on Hospital Efficiency

Abstract

Knowledge management and building intellectual capital are essential for effectively operating healthcare entities. Modern information and communication technologies have an increasing impact on the activities of healthcare entities, which is attributable to the relationship of ICT and purely medical technologies with the use of ICT in knowledge and intellectual capital management. Proper management of the areas of hospital activity mentioned above significantly impacts its effectiveness and efficiency. This paper aims to present and verify a model for determining the impact of the level of relational intellectual capital and the degree of maturity of information and communication technology on the quality and effectiveness of medical services provided by hospitals in Poland. The research model was created using structural equation modelling (SEM). The basic structural model consists of four constructs corresponding to the phenomena studied and the relationships between these constructs. Each construct, as a latent variable, has its measurement model. The measurement models use a survey conducted among the management staff of Polish hospitals. The questionnaires contain carefully selected questions that are indicators of SEM measurement models. The estimation of the model parameters and accuracy was assessed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (SEM-PLS) methodology. The hypotheses proposed in the paper were verified positively. The model meets the required quality criteria, and all parameters are statistically significant. The level of relational intellectual capital and the degree of maturity of information and communication technology positively and significantly impact the quality and effectiveness of medical services provided in hospitals. The research findings may be helpful for hospital management at the strategic management level.