TECHNOLOGY SCANNING IN HOSPITALS: THE ROLE OF INNOVATION ORIENTATION AND SPECIALIZATION OF CARE

Hospitals operate within a rapidly evolving technological landscape, requiring effective practices for scanning and evaluating emerging technologies. However, decision-makers in hospitals often face a lack of clear guidance on how to design scanning processes that align with the strategic objectives of the single hospital wards. This paper seeks to bridge this gap by developing a framework that define different types of technology scanning in hospital wards, according to their strategic orientations. Our framework was built both on the literature, authors’ knowledge and expert opinion. It is based on innovation orientation and specialization of care—key factors differentiating hospital wards in terms of technological innovation— and seeks to offer a more detailed understanding of technology scanning processes. Innovation orientation, measured through the number of patents released and the number of multi centre and single centre studies, influences technology scanning through the level of proactivity and the technology readiness level. Specialization of care, measured through the DRGs codes associated with the individual ward, as well as the research output, influences technology scanning through the level of concentration of the process. This paper contributes to theory and practice. Theoretically, it fills gaps in understanding how hospital wards execute technology scanning in alignment with their strategic orientations, offering insights into the relationship between strategy and technology adoption. Practically, it equips hospital administrators with tools to tailor scanning practices to hospital wards’ needs, improve operational efficiency, and guide resource allocation to ensure technology investments align with strategic goals.