Critical Success Factors and Acceptance of the Casemix System Implementation Within the Total Hospital Information System: Exploratory Factor Analysis of a Pilot Study.

backgroundThe health care landscape is evolving rapidly due to rising costs, an aging population, and the increasing prevalence of diseases. To address these challenges, the Ministry of Health of Malaysia implemented transformation strategies such as the Casemix system and hospital information system to enhance health care quality, resource allocation, and cost-effectiveness. However, successful implementation relies not just on the technology itself but on the acceptance and engagement of the users involved.

objectiveThis study aims to develop and refine items of a quantitative instrument measuring the critical success factors influencing acceptance of Casemix system implementation within the Ministry of Health's Total Hospital Information System (THIS).

methodsA cross-sectional pilot study collected data from medical doctors at a hospital equipped with the THIS in the federal territory of Putrajaya, Malaysia. This pilot study's minimum sample size was 125, achieved through proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a web-based questionnaire adapted from the human, organization, and technology-fit evaluation framework and the technology acceptance model. The pilot data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the Cronbach α assessed internal reliability. Both analyses were conducted in SPSS (version 25.0; IBM Corp).

resultsThis study obtained 106 valid responses, equivalent to an 84.8% (106/125) response rate. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was 0.859, and the Bartlett test of sphericity yielded statistically significant results (P<.001). Principal component analysis identified 9 components explaining 84.07% of the total variance, surpassing the minimum requirement of 60%. In total, 9 unique slopes indicated the identification of 9 components through EFA. While no new components emerged from the other 7 constructs, only the organizational factors construct was divided into 2 components, later named organizational structure and organizational environment. In total, 98% (41/42) of the items had factor loadings of >0.6, leading to the removal of 1 item for the final instrument for the field study. EFA ultimately identified 8 main constructs influencing Casemix implementation within the THIS: system quality, information quality, service quality, organizational characteristics, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, intention to use, and acceptance. Internal reliability measured using the Cronbach α ranged from 0.914 to 0.969, demonstrating high reliability.

conclusionsThis study provides insights into the complexities of EFA and the distinct dimensions underlying the constructs that influence Casemix system acceptance in the THIS. While the findings align with extensive technology acceptance literature, the results accentuate the necessity for further research to develop a consensus regarding the most critical factors for successful Casemix adoption. The developed instrument is a substantial step toward better understanding the multidimensional challenges of health care system transformations in Malaysia, postulating an underpinning for future fieldwork and broader application across other hospitals.