Factors that impact nurses' use of electronic mail (e-mail)

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Nursing Technology Adoption
• Electronic Communication in Healthcare

Background:

• Increasing use of electronic applications in healthcare presents adoption challenges for nurses.
• Electronic mail (e-mail) is a prevalent electronic tool with significant healthcare applications.
• Understanding factors influencing e-mail adoption is crucial for effective implementation in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify barriers and facilitators impacting nurses' workplace use of electronic mail (e-mail).
• To explore specific factors unique to healthcare environments that influence e-mail adoption by nursing staff.

Main Methods:

• Focus group methodology was employed to gather data from nurses.
• Content analysis was utilized to identify and categorize factors influencing e-mail use.
• Qualitative data analysis explored themes related to electronic communication adoption.

Main Results:

• Identified factors influencing e-mail use were largely consistent with general computer adoption literature.
• Novel factors identified include: lack of face-to-face communication, individual writing skills, recency of education, mail volume, password integrity, and technical support.
• These findings highlight specific challenges and enablers for e-mail integration within nursing practice.

Conclusions:

• Findings offer valuable insights for healthcare organizations implementing or updating e-mail systems.
• Addressing identified barriers is essential for successful e-mail adoption and utilization by nurses.
• Recommendations can inform strategies to enhance electronic communication proficiency among healthcare professionals.