Investigating the influence of artificial intelligence on quality management in healthcare centers [version 1; peer review: 1 not approved]

Background: New emerging technologies enable healthcare centers to enhance their information technology (IT) infrastructure, which offers an opportunity to provide adequate services to patients. In Saudi Arabia, the government has initiated artificial intelligence-based technologies to increase productivity in organizations. However, recent studies demand innovative approaches for quality management in healthcare centers. In addition, there is a scarcity of techniques for evaluating the performance of healthcare professionals. Methods: The study intended to investigate the role of IT in quality management in Saudi Arabian healthcare centers. A set of hypotheses were proposed to identify the relationship between IT and quality management. A web-based questionnaire was used and interviews were conducted in the healthcare centers of Riyadh and Eastern provinces. A total of 233 healthcare professionals and management employees participated in the survey. A mixed-method approach was applied to evaluate the responses. Furthermore, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to draw insights from the data. Results: The outcome reveals a positive relationship between IT and quality management. Moreover, the thematic findings outline the importance of IT competence in healthcare centers. Conclusions: The study's findings can support healthcare centers to deploy valuable tools and techniques to improve the quality of service.