Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology

Book excerpt: This report aims to gather the lessons learnt on the effects of HIT to costs and benefits that might be of use to organisations looking to develop and implement HIT programmes. This is a difficult exercise considering the multiple factors affecting implementation of an HIT programme. Factors include organisational characteristics, the kinds of changes being put in place and how they are managed, and the type of HIT system. The report finds that barriers to HIT implementation are still substantial but that some progress has been made on reporting the organisational factors crucial for the adoption of HIT. However, there is a challenge to adapt the studies and publications from HIT leaders (early implementers and people using HIT to best effect) to offer lessons beyond their local circumstances. The report also finds limited data on the cost-effectiveness of HIT.