DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PRACTICES AND SERVICE DELIVERY OF TEACHING HOSPITALS IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA

Abstract: Despite increasing adoption of digital transformation technologies such as telemedicine, electronic health records (EHRs), and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) in teaching hospitals in North Central Nigeria, service delivery remains characterized by weak reliability and poor responsiveness, indicating that their actual impact on healthcare service outcomes is still unclear. This study examined the effect of digital transformation practices on service delivery in teaching hospitals in North Central Nigeria, focusing on telemedicine, electronic health records (EHRs), and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), while service delivery was measured using reliability and responsiveness. A cross-sectional correlational survey design was adopted, and data were collected from 351 healthcare and administrative staff across selected teaching hospitals using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that telemedicine has a positive but insignificant effect on reliability, while it significantly improves responsiveness. EHRs significantly enhance both reliability and responsiveness, with the strongest effect observed on responsiveness. IoMT was found to have the strongest positive effect on reliability and also significantly improves responsiveness. The study concludes that digital transformation practices significantly improve service delivery in teaching hospitals, particularly when effectively implemented and supported by adequate infrastructure and technical capacity. It is recommended that hospitals strengthen ICT infrastructure, staff training, and system integration to maximize the benefits of digital health technologies.