Employee Involvement in the Deployment of Health Information Technology

Embargo until
Date
2009-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
PLEASE SEE REVISED VERSION AT https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/33783: This paper uses employee and patient survey data from a large, integrated healthcare provider to assess the moderating role that employee involvement (EI) plays in the effectiveness of a patient scheduling module that is part of an electronic health record (EHR) system. The author finds that while the module facilitated the appointment-making process, its effects were greater in those clinics that sought input from frontline workers and made use of worker peers trained as system “super-users.” This study presents the first empirical evidence of EI’s potential to enhance the effectiveness of health IT, findings that should inform policymakers and sectoral actors as they allocate substantial resources toward the healthcare industry’s transition from paper-based to electronic recordkeeping. More critically, this case of workplace technological change advances work and employment theory beyond the analysis of union policies toward technological change, instead explaining how employment relations structures and processes influence the effectiveness ofnew technologies—IT in particular.
Description
Keywords
electronic health records (EHRs), health information technology (IT), information technology (IT), employee involvment
Citation
Collections