Clinical Information System: Measuring End-User Satisfaction in a Governmental Hospital in Qatar

Abstract

Clinical services in hospitals are too diversified and include different kinds of care patient needs. To be efficient, clinical services need to be supported by a promising clinical information system. As we did not find enough literature talking about the clinical information system (CIS) in terms of end-users’ satisfaction in the context of Qatar, we took the initiative and conducted this research to study this vital feature of CIS. In this paper, the satisfaction of three categories of clinicians was tested. These job categories included: physicians, nurses, and pharmacists who work in Al Wakra Hospital, a member of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) which is the dominant healthcare provider in Qatar. The study tested the following research questions: RQ 1: What are the key variables affecting the satisfaction of CIS end-users in Al Wakra Hospital? RQ 2: What are the levels of CIS end-user satisfaction in Al Wakra Hospital? The research model incorporated five independent variables measuring their impact on end-user satisfaction. These variables included: information quality, system quality, service quality, professional maturity, and personal innovativeness. The survey questionnaire was divided into two sections: the first one collected demographic data while the second one included measured related to different variables included in the study. Necessary approval was collected from Qatar University IRB Committee. The questionnaire was distributed to targeted end-users. A total of 308 responses was collected, out of which there were eight incomplete responses. After removing three outliers, the necessary analysis was conducted for the remaining 297 useful responses. The following analyses were conducted including frequencies, descriptive analytics, reliability, validity, Pearson’s correlation, and regression. Results revealed reliable measures and variables as Cronbach’s alpha exceed minimally accepted scoring. Collinearity was eliminated via conducting necessary Pearson’s Correlation and VIF test. One variable, system quality, was found to be insignificant and was eliminated from the model. Four hypotheses were supported, while one hypothesis was not supported eventually. Research findings can be used by related decision-makers to improve understanding of reasons impacting end-users’ satisfaction. Listening to the end-users and considering their feedback can help optimize CIS and reach the best possible utilization of it. Nonetheless, there are certain limitations to the study that need to be kept in mind.