Factors associated with the extent of information technology use in Ontario hospitals

Patients, providers and society are demanding more from health care systems worldwide. As health systems evolve, the use of health information technology is one method to deliver safer, more efficient, and more effective patient care. This paper presents analysis that explores whether location, hospital type, hospital size are factors in determing the extent that IT is used in Ontario hospitals.The results show that urban hospitals use IT more extensively than non-urban hospitals. Hospital type does not have an effect on the relative extent that IT is used. Larger hospitals are likely to use IT more than smaller hospitals. Key implications for having location and size determine a hospital's use of IT are the increasing divide between urban and non-urban hospitals and the proliferation of smaller "have not" hospitals in Ontario.