The aims of this study were to assess organizational readiness for e-health among the staff of an out-patient rehabilitation centre and to identify the personal characteristics of potential users that may have influenced readiness.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 137 clinicians, 28 managers, and 47 nonclinical staff in a rehabilitation centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. All participants completed a self-administered questionnaire assessing organizational readiness for e-health. The measure contained three subscales: Individual, Organizational and Technological. Data were also collected on the users' profile, use of technologies and typical response to new information.
Generally, participants considered themselves ready to adopt e-health in their work (X?=?73.8%, SD?=?8.5) and they also had a favorable view of the technologies in place (X?73.8%, SD?=?7.2). However, they perceived the center as being only moderately ready (X?66.6%, SD?=?9.8) for e-health changes. Perceived workload and position/duties in the organization were found to have an impact on readiness for e-health.
These results underscore the importance of addressing organizational readiness for change as a multidimensional concept. Based on these results, implementation strategies tailored to the specific profile of a rehabilitation organization were identified.