Abstract

Physicians’ use of information systems continues to be a highly relevant area of information systems research. Although numerous studies have investigated the relationship between hospital physicians and hospital information systems (HIS), a comprehensive framework for assessing the factors which inhibit the use of HIS has yet to be developed. To advance these efforts, this exploratory research takes a qualitative approach to investigate HIS use inhibitors based on interviews with 48 informants and observations from over 40 hours of workplace shadowing in two German hospitals. The findings show that focusing solely on the user does not lead to successful system deployment in hospitals. Rather, the road to success needs to take a combined approach focusing on the user, the process and the system. If these three building blocks are well aligned, correspond with the organizational context and are supported by strong leadership, medical personnel are much more satisfied with the HIS, which results in more effective use.