The aims were (1) to evaluate the modified version of the Intensive Care Unit Information Need Questionnaire for the broader hospital setting, and (2) to describe the differences in respondents' managerial activities and information needs according to the position held by the respondent and the type of hospital unit.

Information systems do not support managerial decision‐making sufficiently and information needed in the day‐to‐day operations management in hospital units is unknown.

An existing questionnaire was modified and evaluated. Shift leaders, that is, the nurses and physicians responsible for the day‐to‐day operations management in hospital units were reached using purposive sampling (n = 258).

The questionnaire ascertained the importance of information. Cronbach's α ranged from .85–.96 for the subscales. Item – total correlations showed good explanatory power. Managerial activities and information needs differed between respondents in different positions, although all shared about one‐third of important information needs. The response rate was 26% (n = 67).

The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were good. Attention should be paid to the positions of shift leaders when developing information systems.