Technology Readiness and Its Associated Factors among Nursing Officers for the Implementation of Electronic Health Record System at a Selected Hospital in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: Technology readiness is a well-established construct that refers to individuals’ ability to accept and adopt new technology. In Sri Lanka, healthcare digitalization began in the early 2010s, with growing efforts such as electronic medical records in tertiary institutions. However, challenges persist in the readiness of nurses to integrate technology into practice highlighting importance of assessing technology readiness among nursing professionals to ensure the successful implementation and sustainability of health IT solutions in Sri Lanka. Objectives: To assess the technology readiness and its associated factors among nursing officers for implementation of electronic health records (EHR) system at Teaching Hospital Karapitiya (THK) using technology readiness index (TRI) Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 325 nursing officers at THK, selected via simple random sampling. Data were collected using the validated TRI, covering demographics, EHR knowledge, and four dimensions: optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, and insecurity, and analysed using SPSS version 21.0. Results: Of the sample majority were females (94.2%), aged 31-40 years (39.7%), and married (88.3%). Educational levels included diplomas (68.3%), degrees (30.2%), and postgraduates (1.5%), while 33.8% lacked formal IT education. TRI showed a moderate level of readiness, with a mean±SD score of 111.28±10.87 (range: 85-153), on a scale where higher values indicate greater readiness. Among TRI subscales; Optimism had the highest mean±SD score (37.09± 6.21), followed by Innovativeness (27.44±4.23). Negative dimensions Discomfort and Insecurity had mean±SD scores of 30.29±5.30 and 18.96 ± 4.13, respectively. Chi-square analysis indicated a significant association between TRI and age (p=0.020), gender (p=0.024), highest education (p=0.024), and IT education (p=0.024). Conclusions: The study revealed a moderate level of technology readiness among nurses, with positive attitudes towards technology. However, the relatively elevated scores for Discomfort and Insecurity suggest the presence of psychological barriers to technology adoption, which may hinder the successful implementation of digital health technologies in clinical settings