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Background: The maturity and usage of wireless technology has influenced health services, and this has raised expectations from users that healthcare services will become more affordable due to technology growth. There is increasing evidence to justify this expectation, as telehealth is becoming more and more prevalent in many countries. Thus, health services are now offered beyond the boundaries of traditional hospitals, giving rise to many external factors dictating their quality. This has led us to investigate the factors that motivate and limit the implementation of ICT applications in the healthcare domain., Methods: We used a mixed method approach with the qualitative aspects leading the quantitative aspects. The main reason for this approach was to understand and explore the domain through the qualitative aspects as we could be part of the discussion. Then we conducted a quantitative survey to extract more responses in order to justify the claims explored in the qualitative process., Results: We found that there are a number of internal and external factors influencing ICT adoption in the healthcare environment so that services can be provided via ICT tools. These factors were grouped under factors contributing to improved outcomes, efficiency and the management of technology. We conceptualised that these three groups of factors drive ICT implementation to assure health services., Conclusions: The main lesson learned from this research was that Information Systems discipline needs to urgently consider health informatics as a serious growth area. We also found that as IS researchers, we need to 'mix' with the health environment in order to understand the environment and then develop suitable methods to answer posited research questions.

This study explores the perception and views of healthcare professionals in the subcontinent (India and Pakistan) towards the wireless handheld technology in the healthcare setting. A mixed methodology was adopted to explore the determinants of the wireless handheld devices in the healthcare setting. Interviews were conducted with 30 healthcare professionals to explore the initial themes. This was followed up with a survey instrument, specifically developed for this study, and distributed to 300 healthcare professionals in Pakistan and India. 200 usable surveys from India and 97 from Pakistan were received. The results of the study indicate that healthcare professionals felt that to use the wireless technology, the integration of the clinical and operational process is essential. Factor analysis through SPSS showed that any development of technological solutions for handheld devices would benefit, by considering the clinical, technological, and operational influences of the wireless technology in addition to clinical influences, clinical preference, training, and technical support. The study culminated in the development of an initial conceptual framework. The scope of this study is restricted to wireless handheld devices such as the smart phones, handheld PCs and PDAs.

While prior studies agree that wireless applications have the potential to address some of the data management issues encountered by healthcare, very limited information can be found about the drivers and inhibitors of applications that facilitate data management. Therefore, there is a need to identify the factors that assist in the adoption of wireless applications in healthcare and the factors acting as barriers for the uptake of wireless applications. This research will explore the influence of clinical practices, compatibility, and social demographics on the intention of using wireless handheld devices in the Australian healthcare environment. A survey instrument was developed from the focus group discussion secessions. A total of 373 usable surveys were used to analyse the effects of clinical practices, compatibility, and social demographics on the intention of using wireless handhelds. The initial results provided strong evidence on the factors: Social Demographics, Clinical Practices and Compatibility of Wireless Technology, with the intention of using this technology. The results indicated that Social Demographics was acting as a mediating variable for clinical practices and compatibility in the context of the intention to use wireless handheld devices in the Australian healthcare environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the perception and views of healthcare professionals in the subcontinent (India and Pakistan) towards the wireless handheld technology in the healthcare setting. A mixed methodology was adopted to explore the determinants of the wireless handheld devices in the healthcare setting. Interviews were conducted with 30 healthcare professionals to explore the initial themes. This was followed up with a survey instrument, specifically developed for this study, and distributed to 300 healthcare professionals in Pakistan and India. 200 useable surveys from India and 97 from Pakistan were received. The results of the study indicate that healthcare professionals felt that to use the wireless technology, the integration of the clinical and operational process is essential. Factor analysis through SPSS showed that any development of technological solutions for handheld devices would benefit, by considering the clinical, technological, and operational influences of the wireless technology in addition to clinical influences, clinical preference, training, and technical support. The study culminated in the development of an initial conceptual framework. The scope of this study is restricted to wireless handheld devices such as the smart phones, handheld PCs and PDAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]