کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
516848 1449132 2013 11 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
Antecedents of open source software adoption in health care organizations: A qualitative survey of experts in Canada
موضوعات مرتبط
مهندسی و علوم پایه مهندسی کامپیوتر نرم افزارهای علوم کامپیوتر
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
Antecedents of open source software adoption in health care organizations: A qualitative survey of experts in Canada
چکیده انگلیسی


• Many factors simultaneously explain open source software (OSS) adoption decisions.
• Health care organizations rightly consider contextual peculiarities when deciding.
• The decision is positively influenced by OSS being a popular subject matter.
• Lack of clarity, consistency and richness of the discourse on OSS hinder adoption.

PurposeOpen source software (OSS) adoption and use in health care organizations (HCOs) is relatively low in developed countries, but several contextual factors have recently encouraged the consideration of the possible role of OSS in information technology (IT) application portfolios. This article aims at developing a research model for investigating the antecedents of OSS adoption decisions in HCOs.MethodsBased on a conceptual framework derived from a synthesis of the literature on IT adoption in organizations, we conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with IT experts from all levels of the Province of Quebec's health and social services sector in Canada. We also interviewed 10 IT suppliers in the province. A qualitative data analysis of the interviews was performed to identify major antecedents of OSS adoption decisions in HCOs.ResultsEight factors associated with three distinct theoretical perspectives influence OSS adoption. More specifically, they are associated with the classical diffusion of innovations theory, the theory of resources, as well as institutional theory and its spin-off, the organizing vision theory. The factors fall under three categories: the characteristics of OSS as an innovation, the characteristics of the HCO with respect to its ability to absorb OSS, and the characteristics of the external environment with respect to institutional pressures and public discourse surrounding OSS. We shed light on two novel factors that closely interact with each other: (1) interest of the health care community in the public discourse surrounding OSS, and (2) clarity, consistency and richness of this discourse, whether found in magazines or other media.ConclusionsOSS still raises many questions and presents several challenges for HCOs. It is crucial that the different factors that explain an HCO's decision on OSS adoption be considered simultaneously. Doing so allows a better understanding of HCOs’ rationale when deciding to adopt, or not to adopt, OSS.

ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: International Journal of Medical Informatics - Volume 82, Issue 8, August 2013, Pages 731–741
نویسندگان
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