Readiness of hospitals affiliated with Shiraz university of medical sciences for implementation of radio frequency identification technology

Introduction: Applying information technology in healthcare system is one of the most important criteria of the World Health Organization for evaluating the quality of healthcare systems of different countries. Moreover, applying this technology in different parts of health care system can create great potentials for improving the quality of healthcare services. In this regard, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is one of the most practical technologies in identifying and collecting data. The present study aimed to compare the readiness of Shiraz University of medical sciences hospitals for implementation of RFID system in 2014. Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2014. The research population consisted of 110 senior and middle managers. Due to the limited research population, census method was used. The research tool was a questionnaire prepared by the researcher to investigate the hospitals’ readiness for implementation of RFID technology. Face and content validity of the questionnaire were approved by the experts. Cronbach’s alpha test was run to determine the reliability of the questionnaire (data were considered significant at p < 0.05). Also, the data were analyzed in SPSS software using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and percentage) and inferential statistics (one-way ANOVA). Results: The study showed that the readiness level of the hospitals was moderate. Comparing the mean of the total readiness level in the hospitals under the study revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between hospital M and other hospitals (P=0.003). However, the total readiness of hospital I was higher than others. Conclusion: Among 13 hospitals under the study, the hospitals I and A were moderately ready and others were not ready for implementation of RFID technology. Thus, considering various applications and advantages of RFID technology, it is suggested that the hospitals should prepare the budget, improve the technical and communicative infrastructures, and also plan to implement this technology