Assessing digital transformation readiness: a comprehensive study of local clinics in Northwest Vietnam

Local clinics are pivotal in delivering primary healthcare, especially in economically disadvantaged areas like Vietnam’s Northwest. However, these regions face notable deficits in healthcare infrastructure. Digital transformation offers a promising solution. This study assesses the digital transformation readiness of 75 local clinics in Northwest Vietnam and investigates the impact of influential factors on this readiness. The study design involved collecting responses from clinic heads or designated representatives through a web-based survey. The sample size comprised 75 local clinics in Northwest Vietnam. Multiple linear regressions were utilised to examine the impact of influential factors on the clinics’ digital transformation readiness. Findings indicate a significant readiness gap among the surveyed clinics, with observed scores falling below the maximum achievable score of 290. Most clinics scored between 63.5 and 116, highlighting substantial room for improvement in digital preparedness. The study unveiled significant relationships between digital readiness and clinic attributes. Negative correlations included clinic head age and reliance on e-wallets. Positive associations included seniority, social media engagement, and clinic characteristics like education and technology use. The regression results highlight positive associations with clinic head seniority, clinic social accounts, personnel using smart devices, and online patient record integration. Conversely, negative associations were noted with clinic head age and e-wallet usage. The findings stress targeted support for older clinic leaders in digital adaptation, highlight experienced leadership’s role, note distractions from financial technologies, emphasise social media’s digital readiness impact, and stress technological adoption’s importance, plus digital record-keeping benefits for clinics and patient care.