Examining Individual Transition from Healthcare to Information Technology Roles Using the Theory of Planned Behavior

摘要

Many health information management (HIM) positions, including coders and transcriptionists, are evolving due to the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHR) and other automated entry systems.Thus, focus for roles associated with those positions are changing and new positions to manage and manipulate the data collected in the new systems. This study seeks to identify which factors influence HIM professionals' decision to transition from a traditional HIM role to an information technology (IT) position.An online survey was sent to these individuals to determine which factors influenced their decision to consider a transition from healthcare roles to information technology using the theory of planned behavior. In other words, this study explored whether these individuals were influenced by attitudes, normative beliefs, and self-efficacy to consider transitioning from healthcare roles to information technology positions. In order to better understand whether education played a role in this behavior, an additional element, education efficacy was added. The findings revealed that these health information management professionals are not considering a transition from healthcare positions to IT roles. Keywords: Theory of Planned Behavior, education, health information management, career choices, information technologyIntroductionThe Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, signed into law on February 17, 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, promoted EHRs adoption and meaningful use of health IT.~(1) The wide spread adoption of EHRs is changing the roles of healthcare professionals, particularly those in health information management (HIM).~(2) Many of the traditional roles that HIM professionals hold are shifting from traditional clinical, operational, and administrative settings to the technical side of managing health information.~(3) Health IT is an integral part of patient care delivery used to reduce errors and improve patient outcomes and safety.~(4) According to Cascio and Montealegre, “The goal is to create an optimized space that links people, computers, networks, and objects, thereby overcoming the limitations of both the physical world and the electronic space.”~(5)The American Health Information Management Association's (AHIMA) Board of Directors created a task force consisting of representatives from all levels of the HIM industry to identify “HIM Reimagined Recommendations” based on changes in healthcare, technology, and education. The recommendations include new educational strategies to ensure current and future professionals are prepared for the future HIM roles in this rapidly changing environment.~(2)Many positions are slowly evolving as the work formerly performed by employees is automated, captured by technology, or generated by software. For example, the medical coder role is changing as computer-assisted coding software automatically generates medical codes using the transcribed clinical documentation, thus, replacing many aspects of their job.~(6) Medical transcriptionists are also affected as physicians utilize natural language processing, which uses voice-recognition software to automatically convert patient care notes dictated by the physician directly into the medical record.~(7) Structured Data Entry Systems allow the physician to customize patient-record templates for quicker data entry into the EHR, allowing maximized data completeness and a standardized structure.~(8) While the need for coders and transcriptionists still exists, these positions will transition into auditing roles managing automated processes and resolving technical software issues.~(9) These advances will force some HIM employees to transition into non-traditional positions,~(10) including more technological roles.As healthcare roles evolve, the demand for a more focused IT workforce will increase. The United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statitics~(11) predicts that by 2024, IT roles will have grown 12 percent as emphasis is placed on cloud computing, data collection and storage, analytics, and information security.According to the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics~(12) women make up 75 percent of healthcare practitioner and technical occupations, but only 25.6 percent of the IT field. While most women are capable of attaining the skills necessary to fill IT positions, the industry is failing to attract and/or retain them. Ashcraft and Blithe~(13) found that half of the women working in science, engineering, or technical (SET) jobs left the fields within two years of graduation, whereas, most men were still employed in these types of positions two years after graduation. Therefore, this research study assesses the factors influencing individuals, particularly women, who may have or are planning to transition from a healthcare role to an information technology role.BackgroundAccording to