Readiness of healthcare providers for e-hospitals: a cross-sectional analysis in China before the COVID-19 period

Objectives The growth and development of smartphones and eHealth technologies have enabled the potential for extended care hospitals (e-hospitals) in China in order to facilitate the success of a primary healthcare centre (PHC)-based integrated delivery model. Although the adoption of e-hospitals is essential, few studies have directed their research towards understanding the perspectives of healthcare providers. This study aims to identify the current readiness of healthcare providers to adopt e-hospital technologies, determine the factors influencing this adoption and describe the perceived facilitators and barriers in regard to working at e-hospitals. Design A cross-sectional study conducted in Sichuan, China, between June and September 2019. Settings Information was collected from healthcare providers who have more than 3 years of work experience from a tertiary hospital, secondary hospital, PHCs and private hospital. Participants 2298 medical professionals were included in this study. Outcome measure This study included a self-administered questionnaire that was used to assess participants' sociodemographic characteristics, online medical practices, willingness to use e-hospitals and perceived facilitators/barriers to working at e-hospitals. Multivariate regression analysis was performed in order to evaluate the independent factors associated with e-hospital work. Results Overall, 86.3% had a positive response towards working at e-hospitals. Age (p<0.05), familiarity with e-hospitals (p<0.001) and prior work practices in online healthcare settings (p<0.001) were associated with participants' readiness to work at e-hospitals. Gender, education level, professional level, the tier of their affiliated hospital and workload were not statistically associated. Healthcare providers who had positive attitudes towards e-hospitals considered improved efficiency, patient satisfaction, communication among physicians, increased reputation and income, and alleviated workload to be advantages of adoption. The participants who were unwilling to work at e-hospitals perceived lack of time, insufficient authenticity/reliability and underdeveloped policies as potential barriers. Conclusion Improving operative proficiency in electronic devices, accommodating to work schedules, increasing familiarity with e-hospitals and regulating practices will improve the readiness of healthcare providers to work at e-hospitals.