Ignorance, experimentation, redundancy or active management? Organizational approaches to Mobile Information and Communication Technology [MICT] integration with existing hospital IT

The use of mobile ICT (MICT) is said to increase the efficiency of healthcare work practices. Due to the variety of different devices and contexts of use, however, a wide range of patterns of MICT adoption and use are possible. This paper presents a typology of such patterns and considers their effectiveness in supporting clinical work practices. Conclusions are drawn on the role of Information Systems management in this respect. The typology draws on data collected from 13 sites in 9 hospitals in four countries (Portugal, US, UK and Singapore) during the course of one year. A mixed methodology was adopted using questionnaires, log file data, interviews and observation We found four main patterns of MICT adoption: organizations which a) were unaware of MICT use by clinicians; b) were piloting MICT use in specific clinical scenarios; c) were using MICT to add a mobile capacity to the existing network, and d) were using MICT as part of a coherent IT strategy. It was found that careful matching of MICT to existing IT resources and ongoing local work practices was necessary to achieve effective support of clinical work practices. Those institutions where a more pro-active strategy towards MICT use seemed to gain more from the technology with less risk, greater data use, and higher levels of technology awareness.