e-Readiness Assessment- A Health Perspective -

Dr. Shariq Khoja; MD, MS, PhD StudentGlobal e-Health Research and Training Program

Health Telematics Unit, University of Calgary,

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Global e-Health Research and Training Program 

Health Telematics Unit

www.ucalgary.ca/telehealth

e-Readiness- Definition -

• e-Readiness– The degree to which a community is prepared to

participate in the networked world.– Measured by assessing the community’s relative

advancement in the areas that are most critical for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) adoption and most important applications of ICT.

Source: Center of International Development’s ‘Readiness for the networked world’

e-Readiness- e-Readiness Assessment -

• A method to assess if a community or institution is prepared to respond to a pre-identified problem, through ICT.– It is NOT classical ‘needs-assessment’ which identifies

the issues or problems.

• A strategy to identify gaps in the ability of a community or institution to implement an ‘e-health solution’ to its problems.

e-Readiness- Importance -

• Has high value– For both the planners of an activity and the

participating communities.

• Avoids delays and disappointments– Identifies any lack of preparedness of a community

to implement a virtual response at an early stage.

• Avoids huge losses in time, money and effort.• Can prepare remote communities in developing

countries, in order to reduce the digital divide.

• Readiness is:– “An integral and preliminary step in successful

adoption of an innovation”. (CANARIE report, 2002).

– Required to successfully initiate a change process:

Pre-contemplation

Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenance

Readiness

Transtheoretical model of Behavioral Change (Richard W Scholl, 2002)

e-Readiness- Importance -

• 22 e-readiness tools available on www.bridges.org.

• Some important ones are:– Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP’s) -

Readiness Guide for Living in a Networked World.– Crenshaw and Robinson’s – ‘Cyber-space and

Post Industrial Transformations: Cross-network Analysis of Internet’.

– Center of International Development (CID’s) Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries.

e-Readiness- Tools for e-Readiness

Assessment -

e-Readiness- CID’s Guide for

Developing Countries -

• Creator: Center of International Development (CID) at Harvard University - 2000 (www.readinessguide.org)

• Goal: To systemically organize the assessment of factors determining the network readiness of a community in the developing world.

• Standards: ‘e-Ready’ society has:– Necessary physical infrastructure.– Integrated current ICT’s throughout communities and

government– Strong telecommunications competition

– Independent regulations with commitment to universal access

– No limits on trade or foreign investments in ICT

• Measures:– 19 different categories covering: availability, speed,

and quality of network access; use of ICT in schools, the workplace, economy, government and everyday life; ICT policies; ICT training programs; and the diversity of organizations.

• Results: – CID’s grid:

• 5 groupings: Access, Learning, Society, Economy and Policies).

• 4 stages of advancement in each of 19 categories

e-Readiness- CID’s Developing Country

Guide -

e-Health Readiness- Definition -

• e-Health Readiness:– Related to, but different from, e-readiness– Defined as: “The degree to which users, health care

organizations, and the health system itself, are prepared to participate and succeed with e-health implementation”.(CANARIE- report, 2002)

• Current activity:– Efforts underway to develop assessment tools for

e-health / telehealth readiness.

e-Health Readiness- Current Tools -

• Lead organization:– Health Telematics Unit, University of Calgary

• Activity:– Development of ‘Telehealth Readiness’ assessment

tools for organizations and practitioners in the developed world. (Jennett P, 2003).

• Key Components: – a) Organization’s Core-readiness– b) Organization’s engagement / planning

readiness– c) Workplace environment readiness

• Issue:– At this time there are no e-health readiness

tools for developing countries

• Study Goal:– Develop tools appropriate for developing

countries

• Study Team:– Collaboration of HTU, Supercourse and

Institutions in Pakistan.

• Setting:– To be tested in Pakistan using Supercourse

e-Health Readiness- Tool for Developing

Countries -

e-Health Readiness- Assessment in Pakistan -

e-Health Readiness

- Assessment in Pakistan -

• Process:– Building partnerships with the medical

colleges and universities in Pakistan.– Collectively develop an ‘e-health readiness

assessment tool’ for Supercourse.– Test the tool in various medical colleges in

Pakistan.– Finalize a culturally sensitive tool for e-

health readiness that can be used by participating institutions and Supercourse for other programs.

• 5 Components will be assessed:

– Core readiness – Cultural readiness (Access) – Learning (Training in Media) – Society (Internet use and interaction) – Policy (at institutional and government

levels)

e-Health Readiness- Proposed Tool for

Developing Countries -

Core Readiness- Component I -

• Intended to measure basic characteristics of the target population:

– Identification of need– Dissatisfaction with the status quo– Awareness – Comfort with language, and – Comfort with technology

Cultural Readiness - Component II -

• Intended to measure the minimum necessary access to adequate network infrastructure:

– Speed (bandwidth) and quality of Internet

– Service and support

– Hardware and software

– Internet availability and affordability

– Regular usage of computer and internet

Learning Readiness- Component III -

• Intended to measure the minimum required knowledge and training in the community to use ICT:

– An institution’s access to ICT– Use of ICT to enhance education – The ICT workforce in the community

Society Readiness- Component IV -

• Intended to measure the Community’s use of ICT in regular activities:

– Online communication – Availability of locally relevant content– Use of ICT in everyday life

Policy Readiness- Component V -

• Intended to measure creation of an enabling environment and culture at institutional and government levels:

– ICT (telecommunications) regulations – Ethics– Mandatory courses and increasing availability – Influence of HFA over use of technology

References

• Bridges.org: Spanning the International Digital Divide. www.bridges.org.

• CID’s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countrieswww.readinessguide.org.

• CANARIE report: Framework for Rural and Remote Readiness in Telehealth. June 2002.

Acknowledgements

• Dr. Richard Scott. Associate Professor and Harkness Associate. Global e-Health Research and Training Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

• Ronald E. LaPorte. Director, Disease Monitoring and Telecommunications. WHO Collaborating Center. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA., USA

• Dr Sunita Dodani. Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health. Pittsburgh, PA., USA