e-Health in Scotland: setting a baseline for stakeholder alignment

Gaining knowledge of nurses' attitudes towards and understanding of various aspects of the Scottish e-Health programme is vital for needed 'stakeholder alignment'. This paper is focused on the Scottish results from a large on-line survey carried out in 2006, across the UK. Key findings, identified through analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data, are discussed. Results suggest that overall there is willingness and enthusiasm to engage and to see the modernisation of the NHS in Scotland underpinned by advanced and effective IT systems. It also shows that nurses have clear ideas about how information technology could help them and their patients in delivering safe care that enhances the visibility of the nursing contribution to care outcomes. It is argued that results help in setting a base-line from which to judge the success or otherwise of the needed e-Health clinical change management programme within clinical settings.