Development and pilot testing of an Organizational Information Technology/Systems Innovation Readiness Scale (OITIRS).

Empirical evidence indicates that healthcare organizational readiness for new information technology/systems (IT/S) is crucial to successful innovation. Despite this evidence, limited research has been done to define innovation readiness, and develop and test metrics to measure it. This presentation reports on the third phase in a multi-phased research program focused on healthcare organizational change related to IT/S innovation. In the initial two phases, the concept of IT/S innovation readiness was explored and its sub-dimensions identified and validated. In the third phase, findings from the first two phases were used to develop and pilot test an Organizational Information Technology/Systems Innovation Readiness Scale (OITIRS) for use in healthcare settings. The specific aims of this presentation are to 1) provide background information on the development of the OITIRS, and 2) report pilot testing results that support use of the OITIRS in healthcare informatics research.