Digital Transformation Management in Health Services: Health Professionals Perceptions as an Implementation Factor

Background and Objective: The explosion of new digital technologies is fundamentally disrupting the world as it has been perceived until now, transforming it multilevel and at an unprecedented speed. At the same time, with traditional way of providing health services, their quality and scale cannot meet user’s needs and expectations. Within this context of constant search for improved quality, the path of health services towards a digital and value-based transformation is now a one-way street, with drastic and immediate effects that are capable of disrupting the sector and making them sustainable. The most defining issue is how an organization adapts its organizational culture, strategy, leadership and mostly prepare the stuff to operate effectively in a digital world, adding value to users and sustaining prosperity. The main goal of this study was to investigate the perceptions of health professionals regarding the usability and ease of use of digital transformation applications. Material and Methods: To investigate the aim of the study, the USE Questionnaire was used. It was distributed completely paperless, exclusively through Google forms. For better common understanding, we edited an auxiliary video and embedded it in the Google form, to be watched before starting answering it. Our sample was healthcare professionals who worked in various Hospitals and health providers in Northern Greece. Results: Age appears to have a greater influence on health professional self-efficacy. Regardless of specialty, they show positive perceptions of both the usefulness and ease of use and learning of digital applications. Those with a lower level of education showed a higher perceived ease of use and learning, as well as their usefulness than expected. Conclusion: The acceptance of digital transformation in healthcare professionals is based on understanding the concerns and feelings of insecurity that overwhelm healthcare professionals. Our findings can help us in better understanding the factors that influence their adoption of new digital technologies. Likely, this will help us to reduce the time required to make all the structural changes that are necessary, but also to guide us properly for the best use of our already limited available resources. As people accept change at different rates, there is no time for delay and their preparation should begin immediately.