The role of organizational culture in health information technology implementations: A scoping review

The exponential growth in health information technology (HIT) presents an immense opportunity for facilitating the data-to-knowledge-to-performance loop which supports learning health systems. This scoping review addresses the gap in knowledge around HIT implementation contextual factors such as organizational culture and provides a current state assessment.

A search of 13 databases guided by Arskey and O'Malley's framework identified content on HIT implementations and organizational culture. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used to assess culture and to develop review criteria. Culture stress, culture effort, implementation climate, learning climate, readiness for implementation, leadership engagement, and available resources were the constructs examined. Rayyan and Qualtrics were used for screening and data extraction.

Fifty two studies included were mainly conducted in Academic Health Centers (n = 18, 35%) and at urban locations (n = 50, 96%). Interviews frequently used for data collection (n = 26, 50%) and guided by multiple frameworks (n = 34). Studies mostly focused on EHR implementations (n = 23, 44%) followed by clinical decision support (n = 9, 17%). About two-thirds (n = 34, 65%) reflected culture stress theme and 62% (21 of 34) acknowledged it as a barrier. Culture effort identified in 27 studies and was a facilitator in most (78%, 21 of 27). Leadership engagement theme in majority studies (71%, n = 37), with 35% (n = 13) noting it as a facilitator. Eighty percent (42 studies) noted available resources, 12 of which identified this as barrier to successful implementation.

It is vital to determine the culture and other CFIR inner setting constructs that are significant to HIT implementation as facilitators or barriers. This scoping review presents a limited number of empirical studies in this topic highlighting the need for additional research to quantify the effects of culture. This will help build evidence and best practices that facilitate HIT implementations and hence serve as a platform to support robust learning health systems.