Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Applying Task-Technology Fit Model to the Healthcare Sector: a Case Study of Hospitals’ Computed Tomography Patient-Referral Mechanism

  • Systems-Level Quality Improvement
  • Published:
Journal of Medical Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

With the growth in the number of elderly and people with chronic diseases, the number of hospital services will need to increase in the near future. With myriad of information technologies utilized daily and crucial information-sharing tasks performed at hospitals, understanding the relationship between task performance and information system has become a critical topic. This research explored the resource pooling of hospital management and considered a computed tomography (CT) patient-referral mechanism between two hospitals using the information system theory framework of Task-Technology Fit (TTF) model. The TTF model could be used to assess the ‘match’ between the task and technology characteristics. The patient-referral process involved an integrated information framework consisting of a hospital information system (HIS), radiology information system (RIS), and picture archiving and communication system (PACS). A formal interview was conducted with the director of the case image center on the applicable characteristics of TTF model. Next, the Icam DEFinition (IDEF0) method was utilized to depict the As-Is and To-Be models for CT patient-referral medical operational processes. Further, the study used the ‘leagility’ concept to remove non-value-added activities and increase the agility of hospitals. The results indicated that hospital information systems could support the CT patient-referral mechanism, increase hospital performance, reduce patient wait time, and enhance the quality of care for patients.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ahmadian, L., Khajouei, R., Nejad, S. S., Ebrahimzadeh, M., and Nikkar, S. E., Prioritizing barriers to successful implementation of hospital information systems. J. Med. Syst. 38(12):151, 2014.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Ferlie, E. B., and Shortell, S. M., Improving the quality of health care in the United Kingdom and the United States: a framework for change. Milbank Q. 79(2):281–315, 2001.

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Zhiva, N. A., and Diana, M. L., U.S. hospital efficiency and adoption of health information technology. Health Care Manag. Sci. 15(1):37–47, 2012.

  4. Liker, J. K., and Meier, D., The Toyota Way Fieldbook: A Practical Guide for Implementing Toyota’s 4Ps. McGraw-Hill, New York, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Smith, A. L., Bradley, R. V., Bichescu, B. C., and Tremblay, M. C., IT governance characteristics, electronic medical records sophistication, and financial performance in U.S. hospitals: an empirical investigation. Decis. Sci. 44(3):483–516, 2013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Goodhue, D. L., Understanding user evaluations of information systems. Manag. Sci. 41(12):1827–1844, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Naylor, J. B., Naim, M. M., and Berry, D., Leagility: integrating the lean and agile manufacturing paradigms in the total supply chain. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 62(1–2):107–118, 1999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Dickson, E. W., Anguelov, Z., Vetterick, D., Eller, A., and Singh, S., Use of lean in the emergency department: a case series of 4 hospitals. Ann. Emerg. Med. 54(4):504–510, 2009.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Graban, M., Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Engagement, 2nd edition. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Cima, R. R., Brown, M. J., Hebl, J. R., Moore, R., Rogers, J. C., Kollengode, A., Amstutz, G. J., Weisbrod, C. A., Narr, B. J., and Deschamps, C., Use of lean and six sigma methodology to improve operating room efficiency in a high-volume tertiary-care academic medical center. J. Am. Coll. Surg. 213(1):83–92, 2011.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Vegting, I. L., van Beneden, M., Kramer, M. H. H., Thijs, A., Kostense, P. J., and Nanayakkara, P. W. B., How to save costs by reducing unnecessary testing: lean thinking in clinical practice. Eur. J. Intern. Med. 23(1):70–75, 2012.

  12. Sambamurthy, V., Bharadwaj, A., and Grover, V., Shaping agility through digital options: reconceptualizing the rold of information technology in contemporary firms. MIS Q. 27(2):237–263, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Huang, Y.-Y., and Li, S.-J., How to achieve leagility: a case study of a personal computer original equipment manufacturer in Taiwan. J. Manuf. Syst. 29(2–3):63–70, 2010.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Toro-Díaz, H., Mayorga, M. E., Chanta, S., and McLay, L. A., Joint location and dispatching decisions for emergency medical services. Comput. Ind. Eng. 64(4):917–928, 2013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Shariff, S. S. R., Moin, N. H., and Omar, M., Location allocation modeling for healthcare facility planning in Malaysia. Comput. Ind. Eng. 62(4):1000–1010, 2012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Zimmer, L. O., Nolen, T. L., Pramanpol, S., Wallace, D., Walker, M. E., Pappas, P., and Chetchotisakd, P., International collaboration between US and Thailand on a clinical trial of treatment for HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis. Contemp. Clin. Trials 31(1):34–43, 2010.

  17. Hillert, B., Remonte, S., Rodgers, G., Yancy, C. W., and Kaul, A. F., Improving patient outcomes by pooling resources (the Texas heart care partnership experience). Am. J. Cardiol. 85(3, Supplement 1):43–51, 2000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Sheikhtaheri, A., Sadoughi, F., Ahmadi, M., and Moghaddasi, H., A framework of a patient safety information system for Iranian hospitals: lessons learned from Australia, England and the US. Int. J. Med. Inform. 82(5):335–344, 2013.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Anderson, J. G., Ramanujam, R., Hensel, D. J., and Sirio, C. A., Reporting trends in a regional medication error data-sharing system. Health Care Manag. Sci. 13(1):74–83, 2010.

  20. Mahar, S., Bretthauer, K. M., and Salzarulo, P. A., Locating specialized service capacity in a multi-hospital network. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 212(3):596–605, 2011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Nakahara, S., Saint, S., Sann, S., Ichikawa, M., Kimura, A., Eng, L., and Yoshida, K., Exploring referral systems for injured patients in low-income countries: a case study from Cambodia. Health Policy and Plan. 25(4):319–327, 2010.

  22. Flink, M., Bergenbrant Glas, S., Airosa, F., Ohlen, G., Barach, P., Hansagi, H., Brommels, M., and Olsson, M., Patient-centered handovers between hospital and primary health care: an assessment of medical records. Int. J. Med. Inform. 84(5):355–362, 2015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Manser, T., and Foster, S., Effective handover communication: an overview of research and improvement efforts. Best Pract. Res. Clin. Anaesth. 25(2):181–191, 2011.

  24. Goodhue, D. L., Development and measurement validity of a task-technology fit instrument for user evaluations of information systems. Decis. Sci. 29(1):105–138, 1998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Gebauer, J., and Ginsburg, M., Exploring the black box of task-technology fit. Commun. ACM 52(1):130–135, 2009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Massey, A. P., Montoya-Weiss, M., Caisy, H., and Ramesh, V., Cultural perceptions of task-technology fit. Commun. ACM 44(12):83–84, 2001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Grossman, M., Aronson, J. E., and McCarthy, R. V., Does UML make the grade? Insights from the software development community. Inf. Softw. Technol. 47(6):383–397, 2005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Dishaw, M. T., and Strong, D. M., Extending the technology acceptance model with task-technology fit constructs. Inf. Manage. 36:9–21, 1998.

  29. Dishaw, M. T., and Strong, D. M., Assessing software maintenance tool utilization using task-technology fit and fitness-for-use models. Softw. Maint. Res. Pract. 10:151–179, 1999.

  30. Karsh, B.-T., Holden, R., Escoto, K., Alper, S., Scanlon, M., Arnold, J., Skibinski, K., and Brown, R., Do beliefs about hospital technologies predict nurses’ perceptions of quality of care? A study of task-technology fit in two pediatric hospitals. Int. J. Hum.-Comput. Interact. 25(5):374–389, 2009.

  31. Gardner, R. M., Pryor, T. A., and Warner, H. R., The HELP hospital information system: update 1998. Int. J. Med. Inform. 54(3):169–182, 1999.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Feufel, M. A., Robinson, F. E., and Shalin, V. L., The impact of medical record technologies on collaboration in emergency medicine. Int. J. Med. Inform. 80(8):85–95, 2011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Adams, M. B., Kaplan, B., Sobko, H. J., Kuziemsky, C., Ravvaz, K., and Koppel, R., Learning from colleagues about healthcare IT implementation and optimization: lessons from a medical informatics listserv. J. Med. Syst. 39(1):157, 2015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Beuscart-Zephir, M. C., Pelayo, S., Anceaux, F., Meaux, J. J., Degroisse, M., and Degoulet, P., Impact of CPOE on doctor-nurse cooperation for the medication ordering and administration process. Int. J. Med. Inform. 74(7–8):629–641, 2005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Iversen, T. B., Melby, L., Landmark, A. D., and Toussaint, P., Managing variations from surgical care plans: challenges for coordination. Int. J. Med. Inform. 82(1):47–57, 2013.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Shibuya, A., Inoue, R., Nakayama, M., Kasahara, S., Maeda, Y., Umesato, Y., and Kondo, Y., An approach to medical knowledge sharing in a hospital information system using MCLink. J. Med. Syst. 37(9956):1–9, 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Yousri, T. A., Khan, Z., Chakrabarti, D., Fernandes, R., and Wahab, K., Lean thinking: can it improve the outcome of fracture neck of femur patients in a district general hospital? Injury 42(11):1234–1237, 2011.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Chang, Z., Mei, S., Gu, Z., Gu, J., Xia, L., Liang, S., and Lin, J., Realization of integration and working procedure on digital hospital information system. Comput. Stand. Interfaces 25(5):529–537, 2003.

  39. Blobel, B., and Pharow, P., A model driven approach for the German health telematics architectural framework and security infrastructure. Int. J. Med. Inform. 76(2–3):169–175, 2007.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Raghupathi, W., and Umar, A., Exploring a model-driven architecture (MDA) approach to health care information systems development. Int. J. Med. Inform. 77(5):305–314, 2008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Hsu, C., Lee, M., and Su, C., The role of privacy protection in healthcare information systems adoption. J. Med. Syst. 37(9966):1–12, 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Abraham, J., and Reddy, M. C., Challenges to inter-departmental coordination of patient transfers: a workflow perspective. Int. J. Med. Inform. 79(2):112–122, 2010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Ohno, T., The Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production. Productivity Press, Cambridge, MA, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  44. Roney, K., If Interoperability is the Future of Healthcare, What’s the Delay? http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/if-interoperability-is-the-future-of-healthcare-whats-the-delay.html. Accessed Mar 20 2015, 2012.

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to all of anonymous referees for their very valuable comments, which have significantly enhanced this work. This research is supported by the National Science Council under contract no. NSC 101-2221-E-033 -025 -.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Ping-Shun Chen, Chun-Jen Yu & Gary Yu-Hsin Chen

Authors
  1. Ping-Shun Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chun-Jen Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gary Yu-Hsin Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gary Yu-Hsin Chen.

Additional information

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Systems-Level Quality Improvement

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chen, PS., Yu, CJ. & Chen, G.YH. Applying Task-Technology Fit Model to the Healthcare Sector: a Case Study of Hospitals’ Computed Tomography Patient-Referral Mechanism. J Med Syst 39, 80 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-015-0264-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-015-0264-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation