Operations Management in Healthcare Industry

In the healthcare sector, operations management plays an important role. Today, the healthcare industry is mainly focused on improving operational efficiencies and reducing costs while continuing to enhance the quality of care due to the challenging environment [1]. Recently, IoT-based smart rehabilitation was introduced in an effort to alleviate the problem of insufficient resources brought about by an increasing aging population [2, 3]. RFID technology, which serves as the foundation for IoT, enables microchips to transmit information to a reader through wireless communication. By using RFID, people can easily identify, track, and monitor things automatically [4].

The Indian government has promoted India as a destination for medical tourism, touting its high-quality service and reasonable costs that can attract many people from other countries. In addition to this, the Indian healthcare industry is also in competition with countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand [5]. Apart from offering superior medical services, one means by which the Indian healthcare industry can contend is by becoming more efficient and effective in their operations [6]. Although IoT technology has the potential to help India achieve this, many hospitals are still hesitant to implement it [7]. Several pieces of literature focus primarily on factors that affect the adoption of IoT in logistics and supply chain management [8] and manufacturing [9]. However, there is a paucity of empirical research on the determinants of IoT adoption in the healthcare industry. Most studies are more concerned with the barriers [7], applications, and risks associated with IoT technology [10, 11].

Therefore, the factors that drive IoT adoption in the healthcare industry are largely unknown. The adoption of IoT within a hospital requires the involvement of decision-makers (top management) and IoT users in hospitals (healthcare and supporting staff) [12]. Our study primarily zeroes in on the determinants of IoT adoption in the healthcare industry, and investigates the effect at both the top management level and occupational level. The findings of this study will enhance our understanding of potential motivators for IoT adoption by healthcare supporting staff and managers within the Indian healthcare industry. With this study, decision-makers will gain insights to create strategic future plans, focus on critical success factors, address risks, and implement the adoption of IoT technology in the healthcare industry.

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