Award Date

May 2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Nursing

First Committee Member

Karyn Holt

Second Committee Member

Du Feng

Third Committee Member

Catherine Dingley

Fourth Committee Member

Jay Shen

Number of Pages

135

Abstract

Introduction: Technology is embedded in many aspects of healthcare. This is especially true in nursing, where technology is used daily in charting, medication administration, clinical decision-making, healthcare team communication, and information resource utilization. In nursing programs, students are exposed to healthcare technologies and expected to use them once entering the workforce. Healthcare technologies such as electronic health records (EHR), barcode medication administration, medication dispensing machines, and mobile technologies are critical to adopt to leverage their efficiencies and safety mechanisms to provide the best patient care. Despite evidence indicating the benefits of using healthcare technologies, new graduate nurses enter the workforce unprepared to use them due to a complex interaction of factors, including their acceptance of technology, attitudes toward technology, self-efficacy with using the technology, and experience with using the technology. This study aimed to investigate the factors that influence technology acceptance, attitudes, self-efficacy, and experience on technology readiness in pre-licensure nursing students applying a comprehensive approach. Furthermore, this study investigated the extent to which technology acceptance, attitudes toward technology, and technology self-efficacy mediate the relationship between technology experience and technology readiness. Methods: A convenience sample of final-term pre-licensure nursing students aged 18 years or older enrolled in four Southern Nevada Nursing schools were asked to answer items in an electronic, anonymous survey. Students selected represented those about to graduate and enter the workforce as novice nurses; thus, an understanding of their technology readiness was captured as the study outcomes. The survey consisted of questions from the following instruments and demographic information: Modified Technology Acceptance Model Questionnaire, Pretest for Attitudes Toward Computers in Healthcare v.3, Technology Self-efficacy Scale, Technology Readiness Index 2.0, modified Technology Experience Questionnaire. Results: To answer the first research question, hierarchical multiple linear regression was used to assess whether attitudes, self-efficacy, and technology acceptance predicted technology readiness while controlling for age and level of education. The significance of the regression results indicated that the variables predict technological readiness collectively, explaining 63% of the variance (F (7,72) = 21.73, p < .001). To answer the second research question, three separate hierarchical multiple linear regressions were carried out to evaluate whether technology experience predicted technology acceptance, self-efficacy, and attitudes and indicated that technology experience significantly predicted both technology acceptance (F (5,80) = 3.18, p = <.001) and attitudes toward technology (F (5,75) = 3.63, p = .005), explaining 13% and 12% of the variances, respectively. For the third research question, three separate mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate if technology acceptance, attitudes towards technology, or self-efficacy, mediated the link between technology experience and technology readiness and revealed that attitudes toward technology and technology acceptance mediated the direct relationship found between technology experience and technology readiness. Discussion: This study demonstrated that technology experience influences pre-licensure nursing students’ technology readiness and is further influenced by process of change feelings, such as technology acceptance and attitudes. Nursing schools are responsible for preparing competent nurse graduates to deliver safe care; therefore, it is vital that healthcare technology education is included in nursing education. The results suggest that nursing programs should establish curricula emphasizing the importance of these tools and invest in training and resources to provide more hands-on experiences.

Keywords

Computers; Electronic Health Record; Healthcare Technology; Information Systems; Nursing Informatics

Disciplines

Library and Information Science | Nursing

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Download


Share

COinS