A Review of Health Information Technology Implementation Success Factors: Importance of Regulation and Finance

Finding the factors contributing to the successful implementation of Health Information Technology (HIT) can help relieve the stress on healthcare systems worldwide caused by e.g. aging populations. This research reviewed the existing literature and identified 16 success factors for HIT implementation, of which one, the influence of external environment, was not found by prior reviews. This factor is crucial in HIT implementation because healthcare organizations in many countries are highly regulated by government policy and dependent on subsidies. The existing research showed a clear tendency for qualitative empirical work in HIT implementation, and in particular, on individual case studies, creating the need for future quantitative research on HIT implementation success factors. The review also suggested a pyramidal research approach and a taxonomy which shows the interactions of different stakeholders with implementers. These can serve as a reference for scholars and implementers of HIT in studying HIT implementation success factors.