A Survey of Physicians’ Viewpoints on Effective Factors in Internet of Things-Based Smart Hospitals Succes

Background: The Internet of Things (IOT) plays an important role in health care applications and is a system of interoperating computing devices, mechanical and digital machines. Methods: This descriptive study was carried out in 2017 using a pre-designed questionnaire, using Brender and Richards Heeks information system. It contains managerial, cultural, functional, technical, organizational, political and human factors relating to smart hospital based on internet of things. The questionnaire was completed by all 230 physicians working at university hospitals. Validity of the questionnaire was determined using content validity and its reliability was determined by test-retest method with 95% correlation coefficient. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software, using descriptive statistics as well as t-test and analysis of variance. Results: In this study, 149 (79.5%) males and 38 (20.5%) females participated. Based on the physicians’ viewpoints, percentage of agreement for managerial, cultural and organizational factors in creating a smart hospital was higher than other studied factors. Moreover, the viewpoint of male and female physicians on managerial, functional, organizational and human factors in implementing a smart hospital was significantly different. Conclusions: It seems that the management, organizational, and cultural factors are the most important factors in the implementation of smart hospital in Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences. It is necessary for planners and system owners to pay more attention to these factors.