Employing Digital Transformation to Enhance the Professional Performance Efficiency of Healthcare Workers: An Applied Study

Abstract

The success of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 health sector reforms hinges on translating digital infrastructure investments into tangible frontline efficiency gains. This study investigated the relationship between digital adoption maturity and the perceived professional performance efficiency of 412 healthcare workers across multiple tertiary hospitals. Using a cross-sectional, correlational design, we measured digital integration and multi-dimensional efficiency (time, accuracy, coordination). Results revealed a strong, positive correlation between digital adoption and overall efficiency (r = .682, p < .001), with the strongest link to care coordination (r = .703). Significant inter-professional disparities existed: physicians and pharmacists reported higher adoption and efficiency than nurses and allied health staff (p < .001). Hierarchical regression confirmed digital adoption as the strongest predictor (β = .621, p < .001), but its effect was significantly moderated by training adequacy (interaction ΔR² = .007, p = .028). Perceived usefulness partially mediated this relationship. The findings demonstrate that digital transformation enhances efficiency, particularly for coordination, but its benefit is neither automatic nor uniform. Success is critically dependent on adequate, role-specific training and is inequitably distributed across the professional hierarchy. This research provides an empirical basis for shifting from a technology-centric to a human-centric implementation model in Saudi Arabia's healthcare modernization.