Cloud Computing Adoption by Public Hospitals in Kenya A Technological, Organisational and Behavioural Perspective

Abstract

Cloud computing has emerged as a technological paradigm to reduce Information Technology costs, foster collaboration while increasing productivity, availability, reliability, flexibility and minimizing response times. Despite cloud computing offering numerous benefits to the health sector, there are only few successful implementations. Adoption is slower in healthcare sector compared to other industries. Furthermore, there is little concerning the adoption and benefits of cloud computing in Kenyan healthcare sector. This study integrated the Technological Acceptance Model, Technology-Organization-Environment model and the Theory of Planned Behaviour to provide a richer theoretical lens for assessing factors affecting cloud adoption. This study sought to determine the influence of technological, organisational and behavioural contexts in cloud computing adoption. The target population for this study were 114 healthcare personnel (facility in-charges and health records and information officers) in Public hospitals. The study employed a cross sectional survey in one-time data collection using questionnaires from sampled personnel. Logistic regression was used to establish the correlation between the projected factors and adoption of cloud computing, and to show the strength of this relationship. The cloud computing adoption prevalence was at 58% among public hospitals. In terms of cloud computing service models among adopters, Software-as-a-Service was at 100%, followed by Platform-as-a-Service at 5% while none had implemented Infrastructure–as-a-Service. The study found out that technological readiness, service quality, expert scarcity, top management support, firm size, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and social influence have a significant effect on cloud computing adoption. The findings from this study will help healthcare organisations to better understand what affects cloud computing adoption and to guide them in the adoption process. Cloud computing providers can also use the findings of this work to address areas of concern thereby offering products and services that have the confidence of healthcare institutions in Kenya.