Published online December 16, 2008
PEDIATRICS Vol. 123 Supplement January 2009, pp. S80-S84 (doi:10.1542/peds.2008-1755F)
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SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE


Use of Health Information Technology by Children's Hospitals in the United States

Nir Menachemi, PhD, MPHa, Robert G. Brooks, MD, MBAb, Ellen Schwalenstocker, PhDc and Lisa Simpson, MD, MPHd

a Department of Health Care Organization and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
b Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
c National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions, Alexandria, Virginia
d Child Policy Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to examine the adoption of health information technology by children's hospitals and to document barriers and priorities as they relate to health information technology adoption.

METHODS. Primary data of interest were obtained through the use of a survey instrument distributed to the chief information officers of 199 children's hospitals in the United States. Data were collected on current and future use of a variety of clinical health information technology and telemedicine applications, organizational priorities, barriers to use of health information technology, and hospital and chief information officer characteristics.

RESULTS. Among the 109 responding hospitals (55%), common clinical applications included clinical scheduling (86.2%), transcription (85.3%), and pharmacy (81.9%) and laboratory (80.7%) information. Electronic health records (48.6%), computerized order entry (40.4%), and clinical decision support systems (35.8%) were less common. The most common barriers to health information technology adoption were vendors' inability to deliver products or services to satisfaction (85.4%), lack of staffing resources (82.3%), and difficulty in achieving end-user acceptance (80.2%). The most frequent priority for hospitals was to implement technology to reduce medical errors or to promote safety (72.5%).

CONCLUSION. This first national look at health information technology use by children's hospitals demonstrates the progress in health information technology adoption, current barriers, and priorities for these institutions. In addition, the findings can serve as important benchmarks for future study in this area.

Key Words: health information technology • children's hospitals • National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions

Abbreviations: HIT—health information technology • CH—children's hospital • CIO—chief information officer • NACHRI—National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions • RHIO—regional health information organization • IT—information technology

Accepted Sep 11, 2008.


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