BI end-user segments in the public health sector

In public health services, business intelligence (BI) is used by medical secretaries, nurses, doctors and economists. Although some research has investigated the use of information systems in this regard, the results have been inconclusive. One explanation could be unobserved heterogeneity. This paper aims to apply use and task characteristics as well as perceptions of BI quality and user characteristics to characterize BI usage based on end-user segments. The finite mixture partial least squares (FINMIX-PLS), Kruskal-Wallis test and Bonferroni post-hoc test are used to provide a clear picture of the characteristics affecting the use of BI. The user segments are estimated using a sample of 746 BI users from 12 public hospitals and their administrations. The results highlight three segments that are primarily characterized by differences in task compatibility, BI experience and education. Only 16.5% of the respondents fit the definition of a BI user found in the extant literature. The remaining 83.5% represents new user types. This research in progress contributes to the extant BI literature by identifying new types of BI users and by showing how critical success factors differ by user types. As user types are identified using a quantitative method, qualitative studies could be applied to extend the understanding of the various types.