Technological Change at Work: The Impact of Employee Involvement on the Effectiveness of Health Information Technology

Abstract

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 case of workplace technological change begins to explain the elusiveness of the EI-performance link in received studies by suggesting an alternative avenue by which EI can improve organizational performance. Moreover, 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.