Impact Of Health Information Systems Research Articles

The Impact of Health Information Systems on Patient Outcomes

The Impact of Health Information Systems on Patient Outcomes

How can we monitor the impact of national health information systems? Results from a scoping review.

BackgroundNational health information (HI) systems provide data on population health, the determinants of health and health system performance within countries. The evaluation of these systems has traditionally focused on statistical practices and procedures, and not on data use or reuse for policy and practice. This limits the capacity to assess the impact of HI systems on healthcare provision, management and policy-making. On the other hand, the field of Knowledge Translation (KT) has developed frameworks to guide evidence into practice.MethodsA scoping review of the KT literature to identify the essential mechanisms and determinants of KT that could help monitor the impact of HI systems.ResultsWe examined 79 publications and we identified over 100 different KT frameworks but none of these were focused on HI systems per se. There were specific recommendations on disseminating evidence to stakeholders at the institutional and organizational level, and on sustaining the use of evidence in practice and the broader community setting.ConclusionsWe developed a new model, the HI-Impact framework, in which four domains are essential for mapping the impact of national HI systems: (i) HI Evidence Quality, (ii) HI System Responsiveness, (iii) Stakeholder Engagement and (iv) Knowledge Integration. A comprehensive impact assessment of HI systems requires addressing the use of HI in public health decision-making, health service delivery and in other sectors which might have not been considered previously. Monitoring Stakeholder Engagement and Knowledge Integration certifies that the use of HI in all policies is an explicit point of assessment.

The impact of health information systems on the performance of human resources (HR) in King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Taif

This study aimed at identifying the impact of health information systems on the performance of human resources (HR) in King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Taif. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a questionnaire was designed and developed for the purpose of collecting data and distributing it among the 72 sample members. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. The descriptive statistical methods were used to test the hypotheses. The study concluded a number of results, the most important are: -That respondents’ perceptions of the requirements of health information systems were high. That respondents' perceptions of the performance of human resources (HR) were high. The requirements of health information systems (hardware, software, human and organizational) have an impact on the performance of human resources. There are no statistically significant differences due to the variables of (age, qualification and professional experience).

Examining the impact of health information systems on healthcare service improvement: The case of reducing in patient-flow delays in a U.S. hospital

The impact of Health Information Systems (HIS) on healthcare service improvement is well known; however, there has been a limited amount of research regarding the HIS payoff and how this has influenced the quality of patient care. By focusing on Kaizen, this study investigates the possibility of reducing patient-flow delays of outpatients using the HIS. By using a six-step Kaizen method, the root causes of patient-flow delays in the outpatient surgery process were first identified, followed by the development of potential solutions and implementation plans. Afterwards, the role the HIS has on the outpatient surgery process and the economic impact it can have on patient care operations were analyzed. The findings of this study indicate that the adoption of HIS has great potential to not only minimize the chaos and disorder in the outpatient surgery unit but also lead to a reduction of time and cost in relation to patient flow.

Perceived impact of electronic medical records in physician office practices: a review of survey-based research.

BackgroundPhysician office practices are increasingly adopting electronic medical records (EMRs). Therefore, the impact of such systems needs to be evaluated to ensure they are helping practices to realize expected benefits. In addition to experimental and observational studies examining objective impacts, the user’s subjective view needs to be understood, since ultimate acceptance and use of the system depends on them. Surveys are commonly used to elicit these views.ObjectiveTo determine which areas of EMR implementation in office practices have been addressed in survey-based research studies, to compare the perceived impacts between users and nonusers for the most-addressed areas, and to contribute to the knowledge regarding survey-based research for assessing the impact of health information systems (HIS).MethodsWe searched databases and systematic review citations for papers published between 2000 and 2012 (May) that evaluated the perceived impact of using an EMR system in an office-based practice, were based on original data, had providers as the primary end user, and reported outcome measures related to the system’s positive or negative impact. We identified all the reported metrics related to EMR use and mapped them to the Clinical Adoption Framework to analyze the gap. We then subjected the impact-specific areas with the most reported results to a meta-analysis, which examined overall positive and negative perceived impacts for users and nonusers.ResultsWe selected 19 papers for the review. We found that most impact-specific areas corresponded to the micro level of the framework and that appropriateness or effectiveness and efficiency were well addressed through surveys. However, other areas such as access, which includes patient and caregiver participation and their ability to access services, had very few metrics. We selected 7 impact-specific areas for meta-analysis: security and privacy; quality of patient care or clinical outcomes; patient–physician relationship and communication; communication with other providers; accessibility of records and information; business or practice efficiency; and costs or savings. All the results for accessibility of records and information and for communication with providers indicated a positive view. The area with the most mixed results was security and privacy.ConclusionsUsers sometimes were likelier than nonusers to have a positive view of the selected areas. However, when looking at the two groups separately, we often found more positive views for most of the examined areas regardless of use status. Despite limitations of a small number of papers and their heterogeneity, the results of this review are promising in terms of finding positive perceptions of EMR adoption for users and nonusers. In addition, we identified issues related to survey-based research for HIS evaluation, particularly regarding constructs for evaluation and quality of study design and reporting.

Impact of Health Information Systems on Organizational Health Communication and Behavior

Information is critical in making health-related decisions. New communication technologies show great promise in providing ways to develop and deliver changes in health behaviors. The behavioral and communication changes in consumers, patients, providers, and organizations are being noticed at individual, community, and organizational levels due to innovations in electronic health information systems, such as personal health records (PHRs), electronic medical records (EMRs), and electronic health records (EHRs). The noted behavioral/communication changes include improved quality patient care; easy, accurate, and quick information retrieval; rapid information sharing; quick decision making; reduced medical errors due to electronic alerts; increased storage of data and records electronically; and improved information screening and reporting. Literature was reviewed using Pub Med and an internet search. RogerIn recent years, new developments have resulted in the rapid growth of communication technologies such as computer software, the Internet, email, mobile telephones, information systems, and handheld computers. Previously, computer use was predominantly available in high-level government agencies, research laboratories, and large companies. Today, computers and advanced technologies in connection with health data are the new way to manage diseases. Hospitals, healthcare organizations, health departments, and small healthcare facilities, are adopting health information systems and average citizens are using computers to access health-related information. User interfaces have improved and are being interactive with other information systems. The rate of adoption continues to increase as technology becomes cheaper and more accessible. This article discusses the effect of innovation in health information technology on the public

Broadening the Socio-Technical Horizons of Health Informatics

Broadening the Socio-Technical Horizons of Health Informatics

Towards an Integrative Cognitive-Socio-Technical Approach in Health Informatics: Analyzing Technology-Induced Error Involving Health Information Systems to Improve Patient Safety

The purpose of this paper is to argue for an integration of cognitive and socio-technical approaches to assessing the impact of health information systems. Historically, health informatics research has examined the cognitive and socio-technical aspects of health information systems separately. In this paper we argue that evaluations of health information systems should consider aspects related to cognition as well as socio-technical aspects including impact on workflow (i.e. an integrated view). Using examples from the study of technology-induced error in healthcare, we argue for the use of simulations to evaluate the cognitive-socio-technical impacts of health information technology [36]. Implications of clinical simulations and analysis of cognitive-social-technical impacts are discussed within the context of the system development life cycle to improve health information system design, implementation and evaluation.

A multi-method approach to evaluate health information systems.

Systematic evaluation of the introduction and impact of health information systems (HIS) is a challenging task. As the implementation is a dynamic process, with diverse issues emerge at various stages of system introduction, it is challenge to weigh the contribution of various factors and differentiate the critical ones. A conceptual framework will be helpful in guiding the evaluation effort; otherwise data collection may not be comprehensive and accurate. This may again lead to inadequate interpretation of the phenomena under study. Based on comprehensive literature research and own practice of evaluating health information systems, the author proposes a multimethod approach that incorporates both quantitative and qualitative measurement and centered around DeLone and McLean Information System Success Model. This approach aims to quantify the performance of HIS and its impact, and provide comprehensive and accurate explanations about the casual relationships of the different factors. This approach will provide decision makers with accurate and actionable information for improving the performance of the introduced HIS.

Research Themes and Trends in Health Information Systems

The health information systems (HIS) field is characterized as being associated with health care and information systems. Drawing on several disciplines, a body of knowledge has come together that help define the core internal structure of the field. This study attempts to identify the emerging sub-fields using the bibliometric technique of author-cocitation analysis. Co-citation data for members of editorial boards of several health information systems journals for the period of 1998-2006 was collected and analyzed (N = 166). We performed numerous multivariate analyses, including cluster analysis, factor analysis and multidimensional scaling to extract the sub-fields. Our findings indicate the presence of several strong sub-fields, including HIS evaluation, communication and e-health, and clinical DSS. In addition, we identified other sub-fields that are distinct but still emerging, such as adoption, outcome and policy, and use and impact of HIS. The study also confirms the existence of several historical sub-fields and contrasts technology-oriented sub-fields with management-oriented sub-fields. Topics on the periphery of HIS provide links to other disciplines as well. The study provides a unique perspective on the field of HIS, and the results indicate opportunities for further research that explores collaborations and social networks among the sub-fields.