Exploring the clinical information system implementation readiness activities to support nursing in hospital settings

The implementation of clinical information systems can have a profound impact on nurses and their productivity. Poorly implemented systems can lead to unintended consequences that may have a negative impact on clinical processes and patient outcomes. Executives must have adequate knowledge to address nurses' concerns related to implementation. This study explored the clinical information system implementation readiness activities adopted by chief nurse executivesin hospital settings. A descriptive qualitative design was used, including interviews with six chief nurse executives, held from December 2003 through March 2004. The constant comparative method was used to analyze the interviews to extract readiness activity themes and compare these to the literature. The synthesized themes showed that the executives were knowledgeable about and engaged in several key areas, but not all, of the implementation readiness process. The majority of responses were classified into the thematic areas of champion support, staff preparation for change, training, organizational alignment, planning, and vendor support. The theme of a lack of vendor support was not identified in previous studies but was clear in the responses of the chief nurse executives interviewed.