Information Technology Design Research Articles

Exploring patients’ health information communication practices with social network members as a foundation for consumer health IT design

BackgroundThere is a need to ensure that the growing number of consumer health information technologies designed to support patient engagement account for the larger social context in which health is managed. Basic research on how patients engage this larger social context is needed as a precursor to the development of patient-centered consumer health information technology (IT) solutions. PurposeThe purpose of this study was to inform the broader design of consumer health IT by characterizing patients’ existing health information communication practices with their social network members. MethodsThis qualitative study took place between 2010 and 2012 in a Midwestern city. Eighteen patients with chronic conditions participated in a semi-structured interview that was analyzed using qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics. Emphasis was placed on recruiting a sample representing diverse cultural groups and including participants of low socioeconomic status. ResultsParticipants’ social networks included a wide range of individuals, spanning biological relatives, divinities, and second-degree relationships. Participants’ rationales for health information communication reflected seven themes: (1) characteristics and circumstances of the person, (2) characteristics and circumstances of the relationship, (3) structure and composition of the social network, (4) content of the message, (5) orientation of the goal, (6) dimensions of the context, and (7) adaptive practices. ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that patients’ health information communication practices are multidimensional, engaging individuals beyond formal and informal caregivers and driven by characteristics of their personal lives and larger social contexts in addition to their health problem. New models of consumer health IT must be created to better align with the realities of patients’ communication routines.

A Network Perspective on the Dynamics of Market Structure for Outsourced IT Services: A Bayesian Inference Approach

While considerable evidence exists on contract design for outsourced information technology (IT) services, limited work has systematically examined the partner selection strategies of firms seeking to outsource their IT services in tandem with overall dynamics in the market for IT outsourcing. Conceptualizing the set of vendor firms as an organizational field, we consider several mechanisms that influence the dynamics of vendor selection by a client firm in the market for IT services. First, we consider preferential attachment by which firms tend to prefer to contract with central vendors. Second, we consider prior interactions, which serve as an important source of information for both clients and vendors about the reliability and capabilities of their partners. Third, we consider the experience and diversity-based exchange logic, whereby client firms’ benefit through the depth and breadth of experience of vendors. Finally, we consider multi-connectivity based logic of exchange wherein a client can benefit from the heterogeneity of information sources. Analyzing the dynamics of vendor selection poses a number of statistical and computational challenges in examining partner selection for a large set of vendor-client pairs. We employ big data methods to develop a new method based on discrete choice models with reduced choice sets, the Randomly Reduced Choice set with Bayesian Inference (RRCBI) to analyze the dynamics of vendor selection in the market for IT services. We employ a dataset that consists of 22039 unique contracts between 8072 client firms and 2569 vendors over a 20-year period. We find that clients seek deep relationships through continuing interactions with vendors as well as vendors with diversity and depth of experience in terms of their knowledge of market conditions, customer-facing interactions, and organizational processes. We also find evidence for preferential attachment and multi-connectivity based logic of exchange. Our study is the first to investigate the impact of network structure on the client’s vendor selection for IT outsourcing using a longitudinal dataset. Our results strongly suggest that a network-based logic of exchange provides insight into the systematic pattern in which vendors build their competitive position and market segmentation strategies and the manner in which clients build their outsourcing portfolios. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

An Extended-Strategic Alignment Model for technical information system alignment

Information systems (ISs) are the cornerstone of manufacturing companies. These rely on technical ISs that enable the integration between the infrastructures and the support of design and production management activities. For them, ‘strategic alignment’ is crucial for business performance. It exists when the ISs and business goals and activities are in concordance. In the literature, it is often approached from a top managerial point of view, whereas it had also to be managed at an operational level through integration into the upstream phases of the ISs design and development. To succeed in, we propose the Extended-Strategic Alignment Model and an exploitation process. They support the systematic study of the mutual influences between business, information technology and product design or manufacturing. The propositions are illustrated on the part monitoring module of the manufacturing workshop from a real small and medium enterprise.

Organ Printing as an Information Technology

Organ printing is defined as a layer by layer additive robotic computer-aided biofabrication of functional 3D organ constructs with using self-assembling tissue spheroids according to digital model. Information technology and computer-aided design softwares are instrumental in the transformation of virtual 3D bioimaging information about human tissue and organs into living biological reality during 3D bioprinting. Information technology enables design blueprints for bioprinting of human organs as well as predictive computer simulation both printing and post-printing processes. 3D bioprinting is now considered as an emerging information technology and the effective application of existing information technology tools and development of new technological platforms such as human tissue and organ informatics, design automation, virtual human organs, virtual organ biofabrication line, mathematical modeling and predictive computer simulations of bioprinted tissue fusion and maturation is an important technological imperative for advancing organ bioprinting.

Focusing on one capability at a time: patterns in the use of innovation activities and implications for young firms

Informed by the perspective of innovation capabilities, we examine innovation activities performed by firms on a continuous basis. Many firms are encouraged to use innovation activities, but young firms tend to have less experience and fewer resources to coordinate multiple innovation activities than established firms. We analyse 535 small and medium-sized service enterprises in the USA and the UK. We find that young and established firms tend to use similar types of innovation activities involving research and development, information technology, training, market analysis, and product design. Yet, young firms that are more productive tend to focus on a single innovation activity, rather than multiple innovation activities. Innovation activities may compete for firm resources and thus serve as substitutes, instead of complements, among young firms.

Information Issues and Contexts that Impair Team Based Communication Workflow: A Palliative Sedation Case Study.

Implementing team based workflows can be complex because of the scope of providers involved and the extent of information exchange and communication that needs to occur. While a workflow may represent the ideal structure of communication that needs to occur, information issues and contextual factors may impact how the workflow is implemented in practice. Understanding these issues will help us better design systems to support team based workflows. In this paper we use a case study of palliative sedation therapy (PST) to model a PST workflow and then use it to identify purposes of communication, information issues and contextual factors that impact them. We then suggest how our findings could inform health information technology (HIT) design to support team based communication workflows.

Applying Human Factors Principles to Mitigate Usability Issues Related to Embedded Assumptions in Health Information Technology Design.

BackgroundThere is growing recognition that design flaws in health information technology (HIT) lead to increased cognitive work, impact workflows, and produce other undesirable user experiences that contribute to usability issues and, in some cases, patient harm. These usability issues may in turn contribute to HIT utilization disparities and patient safety concerns, particularly among “non-typical” HIT users and their health care providers. Health care disparities are associated with poor health outcomes, premature death, and increased health care costs. HIT has the potential to reduce these disparate outcomes. In the computer science field, it has long been recognized that embedded cultural assumptions can reduce the usability, usefulness, and safety of HIT systems for populations whose characteristics differ from “stereotypical” users. Among these non-typical users, inappropriate embedded design assumptions may contribute to health care disparities. It is unclear how to address potentially inappropriate embedded HIT design assumptions once detected.ObjectiveThe objective of this paper is to explain HIT universal design principles derived from the human factors engineering literature that can help to overcome potential usability and/or patient safety issues that are associated with unrecognized, embedded assumptions about cultural groups when designing HIT systems.MethodsExisting best practices, guidance, and standards in software usability and accessibility were subjected to a 5-step expert review process to identify and summarize those best practices, guidance, and standards that could help identify and/or address embedded design assumptions in HIT that could negatively impact patient safety, particularly for non-majority HIT user populations. An iterative consensus-based process was then used to derive evidence-based design principles from the data to address potentially inappropriate embedded cultural assumptions.ResultsDesign principles that may help identify and address embedded HIT design assumptions are available in the existing literature.ConclusionsEvidence-based HIT design principles derived from existing human factors and informatics literature can help HIT developers identify and address embedded cultural assumptions that may underlie HIT-associated usability and patient safety concerns as well as health care disparities.

Analisis dan Pengukuran Tingkat Eksposur Resiko Teknologi Informasi dengan Metode Fmea Pada PT. Bank Central Asia, Tbk

The purpose of this paper is to help the PT. Bank Central Asia, Tbk in measuring the level of risk exposure and identify the need to control IT risk management at PT. Bank Central Asia, Tbk. Conducted research methodology, field observation, library research, interviews and gave questionnaires to the relevant parties, perform data analysis, as well as measuring the risk of using the approach of FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis). The results achieved in this study is to facilitate the management in making decisions related to the design, maintenance, and development of information technology at PT. Bank Central Asia, Tbk and also minimize the risk of the failure so that the utilization of existing information technology can provide more optimal results. The conclusion from this study is that there is a risk of potential failure that could hamper the existing business processes in PT. Bank Central Asia, Tbk. Highest risk or potential failure according to theRPN (Risk Priority Number) is a software and hardware damage, as well as the corrupted database due to the impact of operational risk.

Research on the Application of Organizational Management Information System

To well organize China's Large-scale Sport Events, causes the Large-scale Sport Events organization to manage in the process each kind of activity and the work carries on the effective classification the equipment personnel and the division of labor authorization, we synthesized research techniques and so on utilization systems science, management science, mathematics modeling, artificial intelligence, information technology design in China's Large-scale Sport Events to organize the management information system, This article comprehensively elaborated this system function demand, the bare bone, the system design and the core function and so on.

Beyond traditional advertisements: leveraging Facebook's social structures for research recruitment.

BackgroundObtaining access to a demographically and geographically diverse sample for health-related research can be costly and time consuming. Previous studies have reported mixed results regarding the potential of using social media-based advertisements to overcome these challenges.ObjectiveOur aim was to develop and assess the feasibility, benefits, and challenges of recruiting for research studies related to consumer health information technology (IT) by leveraging the social structures embedded in the social networking platform, Facebook.MethodsTwo recruitment strategies that involved direct communication with existing Facebook groups and pages were developed and implemented in two distinct populations. The first recruitment strategy involved posting a survey link directly to consenting groups and pages and was used to recruit Filipino-Americans to a study assessing the perceptions, use of, and preferences for consumer health IT. This study took place between August and December 2013. The second recruitment strategy targeted individuals with type 2 diabetes and involved creating a study-related Facebook group and asking administrators of other groups and pages to publicize our group to their members. Group members were then directly invited to participate in an online pre-study survey. This portion of a larger study to understand existing health management practices as a foundation for consumer health IT design took place between May and June 2014. In executing both recruitment strategies, efforts were made to establish trust and transparency. Recruitment rate, cost, content of interaction, and characteristics of the sample obtained were used to assess the recruitment methods.ResultsThe two recruitment methods yielded 87 and 79 complete responses, respectively. The first recruitment method yielded a rate of study completion proportionate to that of the rate of posts made, whereas recruitment successes of the second recruitment method seemed to follow directly from the actions of a subset of administrators. Excluding personnel time, the first recruitment method resulted in no direct costs, and the second recruitment method resulted in a total direct cost of US $118.17. Messages, posts, and comments received using both recruitment strategies reflected ten themes, including appreciation, assistance, clarification, concerns, encouragement, health information, interest, promotion, solicitations, and support. Both recruitment methods produced mixed results regarding sample representativeness with respect to characteristics such as gender, race, and ethnicity.ConclusionsThe results of the study demonstrate that leveraging the social structures of Facebook for health-related research was feasible for obtaining small samples appropriate for qualitative research but not for obtaining large samples needed for quantitative research. The content of interactions with members of the target population prompted ethical deliberations concerning suitable target communities and appropriate boundaries between researchers and participants. Widespread replication of this method would benefit from a broad discussion among researchers, social media users, social media companies, and experts in research ethics to address appropriate protocols for such interactions.

Parallel Green Design of Machine Product

Concurrent green design of machine product proposed concurrent engineering method in the process of product design, reflect the green design idea, realize concurrent engineering and green design information sharing, so as to shorten developing period, reduce cost, enhance quality and protect environment. Connotation, basic characteristic and key technology about concurrent green design are discussed in the paper.

Following the trail: understanding information flow in the emergency department

A hospital emergency department (ED) is a complex cognitive work system. ED providers routinely create, process and share various kinds of information in their work. They may constantly transform information using technological artifacts such as an electronic patient information system. The functionality in the technology, however, limits their tasks and activities. So, they create their own artifacts (such as handwritten notes on a post-it note), to share and process information. The goal of the paper is to illustrate how health providers in EDs create, process, transform and share information to achieve work goals. We present the information trail model in the ED to illustrate various facets of information creation activity and generate insights for health information technology design.

The Application of BIM in the Restoration of Historical Buildings

Along with economic development, the consciousness and the ability in our country of historical reconstruction increase gradually. The use of information technology for modeling, design and archive in historical reconstruction is of great significance.The emergence of BIM (building information model) technology can effectively promote the ancient architecture of information integration and the collaboration between the parties. It can also avoid the understanding error of design. Using BIM to build ancient building component library can also reduce the burden of the future similar engineering design modeling work. Articles explore the current problems to overcome in ancient building repair, introduce the BIM technology, and then expounds the importance and advantages of BIM technology in historical reconstruction. At last, this paper proposes the whole idea of using BIM technology to repair and build the historical building.

The Work and Work Systems of Patients: A New Frontier for Macroergonomics in Health Care

To maintain and improve their health, patients perform many non-paid activities that may be conceptualized as self-care and self-management work. However, within the domain of health care, macroergonomists have almost exclusively focused on analyzing the work and work systems of those employed by the health care system rather than those served by it. This panel will focus on how macroergonomics principles and models originally developed within an institutional context may be adapted for the contexts in which patients are embedded. The discussion will be grounded in specific analyses of patients’ work and work systems within domains such as consumer health information technology design, self-care work performance, transitions of care, and patient safety. During each of these presentations, panelists will focus on lessons related to the conceptual, methodological and practice-related challenges of understanding and affecting patients’ work and work systems that may be applied by other researchers.

From spoken narratives to domain knowledge: Mining linguistic data for medical image understanding

Extracting useful visual clues from medical images allowing accurate diagnoses requires physicians' domain knowledge acquired through years of systematic study and clinical training. This is especially true in the dermatology domain, a medical specialty that requires physicians to have image inspection experience. Automating or at least aiding such efforts requires understanding physicians' reasoning processes and their use of domain knowledge. Mining physicians' references to medical concepts in narratives during image-based diagnosis of a disease is an interesting research topic that can help reveal experts' reasoning processes. It can also be a useful resource to assist with design of information technologies for image use and for image case-based medical education systems. We collected data for analyzing physicians' diagnostic reasoning processes by conducting an experiment that recorded their spoken descriptions during inspection of dermatology images. In this paper we focus on the benefit of physicians' spoken descriptions and provide a general workflow for mining medical domain knowledge based on linguistic data from these narratives. The challenge of a medical image case can influence the accuracy of the diagnosis as well as how physicians pursue the diagnostic process. Accordingly, we define two lexical metrics for physicians' narratives--lexical consensus score and top N relatedness score--and evaluate their usefulness by assessing the diagnostic challenge levels of corresponding medical images. We also report on clustering medical images based on anchor concepts obtained from physicians' medical term usage. These analyses are based on physicians' spoken narratives that have been preprocessed by incorporating the Unified Medical Language System for detecting medical concepts. The image rankings based on lexical consensus score and on top 1 relatedness score are well correlated with those based on challenge levels (Spearman correlation>0.5 and Kendall correlation>0.4). Clustering results are largely improved based on our anchor concept method (accuracy>70% and mutual information>80%). Physicians' spoken narratives are valuable for the purpose of mining the domain knowledge that physicians use in medical image inspections. We also show that the semantic metrics introduced in the paper can be successfully applied to medical image understanding and allow discussion of additional uses of these metrics.

Information Technology in Environment Digital Design Based on CAD

Spatial structure of landscape ecology is composed by different ecosystems, the interaction function and dynamics. It is to the entire landscape as the research object, emphasizing the interaction between the protection and management of large areas of population ecology, management of environmental resources and human activities spatial heterogeneity of the maintenance and development, ecosystem and its components on the landscape impact. This paper presents several models of several computer-aided digital design environments, and the depth of the concrete application of various models.

Improving Productivity in Design and Development of Information Technology (IT) Service Delivery Simulation Models

The unprecedented scale of Information Technology (IT) service delivery requires careful analysis and optimization of service systems. The simulation is an efficient way to handle the complexity of modeling and optimization of real-world service delivery systems. However, typically developed custom simulation models lack standard architectures and limit the reuse of design and implementation artifacts across multiple models. In this work, following the design science research methodology, based on a formal model of service delivery systems and applying an adapted software product line (SPL) approach, we create a design artifact for building product lines of IT service delivery simulation models, which vastly simplify and reduce the cost of simulation model design and development. We evaluate the design artifact by constructing a product line of simulation models for a set of IBM’s IT service delivery systems. We validate the proposed approach by comparing the simulation results obtained using our models with the results from the corresponding custom simulation models. The case study demonstrates that the proposed approach leads to 5–8 times reductions in the time required to design and develop related simulation models. The potential implications of the application of the proposed approach within an organization are quicker responses to changes in the business environment, more information to assist in managerial decisions, and reduced workload on the process reengineering specialists.

Retraction notice

Retraction notice

Information Technologies for Innovative Process and Plant Design

AbstractProcess and plant design is associated with long lead times from first planning to plant commissioning. Methods to reduce lead time in chemical engineering process and plant design are reviewed. Experiment‐based process design methods for small‐scale production will be discussed as well as recent approaches for module‐based plant design. For both, the required information technologies will be discussed, and an overview will be given about suitable and available software solutions. Finally, an innovative approach to modularization for small‐scale continuous container processes will be presented.

Multi-disciplinary communication networks for skin risk assessment in nursing homes with high IT sophistication

BackgroundThe role of nursing home (NH) information technology (IT) in quality improvement has not been clearly established, and its impacts on communication between care givers and patient outcomes in these settings deserve further attention. ObjectivesIn this research, we describe a mixed method approach to explore communication strategies used by healthcare providers for resident skin risk in NH with high IT sophistication (ITS). MethodsSample included NH participating in the statewide survey of ITS. We incorporated rigorous observation of 8- and 12-h shifts, and focus groups to identify how NH IT and a range of synchronous and asynchronous tools are used. Social network analysis tools and qualitative analysis were used to analyze data and identify relationships between ITS dimensions and communication interactions between care providers. ResultsTwo of the nine ITS dimensions (resident care-technological and administrative activities-technological) and total ITS were significantly negatively correlated with number of unique interactions. As more processes in resident care and administrative activities are supported by technology, the lower the number of observed unique interactions. Additionally, four thematic areas emerged from staff focus groups that demonstrate how important IT is to resident care in these facilities including providing resident-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, maintaining safety and quality, and using standardized information resources. ConclusionOur findings in this study confirm prior research that as technology support (resident care and administrative activities) and overall ITS increases, observed interactions between staff members decrease. Conversations during staff interviews focused on how technology facilitated resident centered care through enhanced information sharing, greater virtual collaboration between team members, and improved care delivery. These results provide evidence for improving the design and implementation of IT in long term care systems to support communication and associated resident outcomes.