IADR Abstract Archives
Dentists’ Considerations About Using Digital Technologies and Their Job Resources
Objectives: Digital technologies are often seen as improving work and work conditions. Considerations about digital technologies may influence their use, as well as job resources may.
Objectives:
To investigate the considerations about digital dental technologies and job resources among dentists and their relation with degree of technology use.
Methods: 1,000 general dental practitioners in the Netherlands received a questionnaire on technologies they use, general and personal considerations about using technologies, and job resources (response 31%). Questions were derived from expert interviews, the Dentists’ Experienced Job Resources Scale, and literature on technology implementation.
Results: Respondents used 6.3 ± 2.3 technologies on average. Low technology users (23%) used 0 to 4, mostly administrative and radiographic technologies. Intermediate users (46%) employed 5 to 7 more varied technologies, and high users (31%) had 8 to 12 technologies, including more innovative diagnostic technologies. One-way analysis of variance showed that dentists who were high technology users perceived technologies as yielding more quality improvements (p=0.001), adding more value to the dental practice (p<0.001) and being easier to use (p=0.002), compared to low technology users. High technology users indicated that technologies add more value to their work (p<0.001) and they reported higher skills and resources (p<0.001). They also focused more on technologies (p<0.001) and thought technologies are more ready to use (p=0.001) than low technology users. Kruskal-Wallis tests showed that as job resources, immediate results (p=0.030) and craftsmanship (p=0.007) were more present in high technology users than in low technology users.
Conclusions: Perceived added value, ease of use, improvement in quality of care, skills and resources, and attitudes towards technologies shape dentists’ considerations about digital technologies. Considerations about technologies among dentists and their job resources vary with degree of technology use.
Objectives:
To investigate the considerations about digital dental technologies and job resources among dentists and their relation with degree of technology use.
Methods: 1,000 general dental practitioners in the Netherlands received a questionnaire on technologies they use, general and personal considerations about using technologies, and job resources (response 31%). Questions were derived from expert interviews, the Dentists’ Experienced Job Resources Scale, and literature on technology implementation.
Results: Respondents used 6.3 ± 2.3 technologies on average. Low technology users (23%) used 0 to 4, mostly administrative and radiographic technologies. Intermediate users (46%) employed 5 to 7 more varied technologies, and high users (31%) had 8 to 12 technologies, including more innovative diagnostic technologies. One-way analysis of variance showed that dentists who were high technology users perceived technologies as yielding more quality improvements (p=0.001), adding more value to the dental practice (p<0.001) and being easier to use (p=0.002), compared to low technology users. High technology users indicated that technologies add more value to their work (p<0.001) and they reported higher skills and resources (p<0.001). They also focused more on technologies (p<0.001) and thought technologies are more ready to use (p=0.001) than low technology users. Kruskal-Wallis tests showed that as job resources, immediate results (p=0.030) and craftsmanship (p=0.007) were more present in high technology users than in low technology users.
Conclusions: Perceived added value, ease of use, improvement in quality of care, skills and resources, and attitudes towards technologies shape dentists’ considerations about digital technologies. Considerations about technologies among dentists and their job resources vary with degree of technology use.