Information Technology Problems Research Articles

Возможности, проблемы и перспективы информационных технологий в сфере клинической безопасности.

The article describes the possibilities of using information technology (IT) to ensure patient safety. The role of IT is examined in three aspects of patient safety: creating a safe health care environment, safely delivering health care, and assessing patient safety. Purpose of the study is to explore the current state of information technology and environmental factors in the field of clinical safety. Materials and methods. Analyze the current capabilities of using information technology to ensure patient safety in three aspects: creating a safe environment for the provision of medical care, safe delivery of medical care and assessing patient safety. Based on the results of the analysis, determine the problems and prospects of information technologies in the field of clinical safety. Results. One of the components of a safe medical care environment is a patient’s personal account. Research examining the impact of patient privacy on health care safety is an important and promising area for future research. It is stated that today without IT it is impossible to create safe conditions for the provision of medical care. Based on the results of the analysis of the problem of the relevance of medical knowledge, the need for a transition to medical ecosystems is stated for a comprehensive solution to patient safety problems, including in relation to the use of DSS in medicine. Approaches to solving IT problems in the field of clinical safety are proposed, which are to optimally integrate compliance functions of multiple requirements and clinical data coming from different sources into complex medical technological processes, ensuring maximum patient safety with minimal complication of these processes. The assessment of compliance (certification) with safety standards is described as one of the ways to confirm the compliance of the results of activities with the requirements of not only quality, but also safety for the patient. Findings. There is a need to intensify research on the impact of health IT on patient safety, with particular attention to improving methods for identifying side effects and assessing patient safety, clinical decision support systems, adequate representation of biomedical knowledge, patient personal accounts, ecosystem solutions and support for continuity of care using IT, and also to the use of informatization criteria in the development and improvement of standards for the quality and safety of medical care.

Relational sensibilities and women's participation in computer science and information technology degrees: A cultural-historical approach

There is extensive literature concerning women's low participation in the technology industry. However, little is known about the relational aspect of women's participation in information technology–related degrees. This study focused mainly on relational sensibility and women's experience of the situation as it is, and how they imagine it could be and should be, as potential life projects are formulated in relation to, and with, others as they engage in 4-year undergraduate degrees in computer science (CS) or information technology (IT). Data were generated from five semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion with seven women ( n = 12 participants). The women in this study enrolled in an undergraduate degree as they were able to solve complex IT problems by themselves and then help others. Further, the self-positioning and the positioning by others created emotional tension and effected the women's relational sensibilities. Most of the women were undecided about their future career in IT because of the lack of transparency and information about what is involved in employment in the field. We argue that moral imagination provides a different perspective to understand women's underrepresentation in the CS and IT fields.

Relational sensibilities and women's participation in computer science and information technology degrees: A cultural-historical approach

There is extensive literature concerning women's low participation in the technology industry. However, little is known about the relational aspect of women's participation in information technology–related degrees. This study focused mainly on relational sensibility and women's experience as they engage in 4-year undergraduate degrees in computer science (CS) or information technology (IT). Drawing on the theoretical concept of moral imagination the womens' situation is examined; as it is, and how they imagine it could be and should be, as potential life projects are formulated in relation to, and with, others. Data were generated from five semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion with seven women ( n = 12 participants). The women in this study enrolled in an undergraduate degree as they were able to solve complex IT problems by themselves and then help others. Further, the self-positioning and the positioning by others created emotional tension and effected the women's relational sensibilities. Most of the women were undecided about their future career in IT because of the lack of transparency and information about what is involved in employment in the field. We argue that moral imagination provides a different perspective to understand women's underrepresentation in the CS and IT fields.

Human Factors and Usability for Health Information Technology: Old and New Challenges.

Summary Objectives : Despite national mandates, incentives, and other programs, the design of health information technology (IT) remains problematic and usability problems continue to be reported. This paper reviews recent literature on human factors and usability of health IT, with a specific focus on research aimed at applying human factors methods and principles to improve the actual design of health IT, its use, and associated patient and clinician outcomes. Methods : We reviewed recent literature on human factors and usability problems of health IT and research on human-centered design of health IT for clinicians and patients. Results : Studies continue to show usability problems of health IT experienced by multiple groups of health care professionals (e.g., physicians and nurses) as well as patients. Recent research shows that usability is influenced by both designers (e.g., IT vendors) and implementers in health care organizations, and that the application of human-centered design practices needs to be further improved and extended. We welcome emerging research on the design of health IT for teams as team-based care is increasingly implemented throughout health care. Conclusions : Progress in the application of human factors methods and principles to the design of health IT is occurring, with important information provided on their actual impact on care processes and patient outcomes. Future research should examine the work of health IT designers and implementers, which would help to develop strategies for further embedding human factors engineering in IT design processes.

Manajemen Masalah Teknologi Informasi Berdasarkan Kerangka Kerja ITIL V3 dan COBIT 5

In this study, we attempted to develop Information Technology (IT) document of problem management for the export company. This document used as guidance for the company’s employees to manage IT problem. Not every company's IT division has IT problem management strategy, the priority of problem-solving is usually done by the First In first out (FIFO) method by not considering the impact and the problem urgency. COBIT 5 and ITIL V3 DSS03 related to Problem management were used as standards to review and benchmark on how problem management activities should be done. The output of this research is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document. The Problem management SOP document consists of three stages, the first stage is the preparation of SOP with 5 sub-stages, namely: list activity of ITIL V3 and COBIT 5 DSS03, mapping activity of ITIL V3 and COBIT 5 DSS03, verification of company new activities, mapping of activity actor based on RACI DSS02 and mapping of workproduct. The second stage is the adjustment of SOP documents with 2 sub-stages, namely: interviews for identification of needs and mapping of activity actor with the company's organizational structure. The third stage is the verification of SOP documents. The SOP documents contain 11 procedure with five actors. Overall SOP document can eventually become a reference for the company to manage IT problem.

Manajemen Masalah Teknologi Informasi Berdasarkan Kerangka Kerja ITIL V3 dan COBIT 5

In this study, we attempted to develop Information Technology (IT) document of problem management for the export company. This document used as guidance for the company’s employees to manage IT problem. Not every company's IT division has IT problem management strategy, the priority of problem-solving is usually done by the First In first out (FIFO) method by not considering the impact and the problem urgency. COBIT 5 and ITIL V3 DSS03 related to Problem management were used as standards to review and benchmark on how problem management activities should be done. The output of this research is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document. The Problem management SOP document consists of three stages, the first stage is the preparation of SOP with 5 sub-stages, namely: list activity of ITIL V3 and COBIT 5 DSS03, mapping activity of ITIL V3 and COBIT 5 DSS03, verification of company new activities, mapping of activity actor based on RACI DSS02 and mapping of workproduct. The second stage is the adjustment of SOP documents with 2 sub-stages, namely: interviews for identification of needs and mapping of activity actor with the company's organizational structure. The third stage is the verification of SOP documents. The SOP documents contain 11 procedure with five actors. Overall SOP document can eventually become a reference for the company to manage IT problem.

Misunderstanding IT: Hospital cybersecurity and IT problems reach the courts

The corruption of patient data in a hospital prompted a criminal investigation, resulting in approximately 70 nurses being disciplined, with some charged with wilful neglect contrary to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Some nurses received custodial sentences. This paper explains the background. The paper demonstrates the inability of hospital information technology (IT) systems and management to provide reliable evidence and highlights broad problems with poor IT culture affecting manufacturers, hospitals, police, lawyers, and advisors — all the way through to regulators and legislators. Widespread misunderstandings of IT and data compromises both the provision of effective care and legal processes. This paper includes recommendations, the most urgent being that hospitals (the UK National Health System (‘NHS’) and other national healthcare systems more generally) should acknowledge that IT is unreliable, and that they should procure and actively manage IT equipment with this in mind. Keeping up-to-date with legal issues relating to IT generally, as well as keeping up-to-date with cybersecurity measures should be routine. The NHS needs to improve its IT maturity, management and policies. The police, the legal system and regulators also need a more mature approach to IT. Manufacturers are not currently providing dependable systems that are fit for purpose to operate safely and reliably in normal, complex hospital environments. All parties should engage qualified external oversight.Index words: National Health Service, United Kingdom, State Medicine, cybersecurity, information technology, medical ethics

Problems with health information technology and their effects on care delivery and patient outcomes: a systematic review.

To systematically review studies reporting problems with information technology (IT) in health care and their effects on care delivery and patient outcomes. We searched bibliographic databases including Scopus, PubMed, and Science Citation Index Expanded from January 2004 to December 2015 for studies reporting problems with IT and their effects. A framework called the information value chain, which connects technology use to final outcome, was used to assess how IT problems affect user interaction, information receipt, decision-making, care processes, and patient outcomes. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Of the 34 studies identified, the majority ( n = 14, 41%) were analyses of incidents reported from 6 countries. There were 7 descriptive studies, 9 ethnographic studies, and 4 case reports. The types of IT problems were similar to those described in earlier classifications of safety problems associated with health IT. The frequency, scale, and severity of IT problems were not adequately captured within these studies. Use errors and poor user interfaces interfered with the receipt of information and led to errors of commission when making decisions. Clinical errors involving medications were well characterized. Issues with system functionality, including poor user interfaces and fragmented displays, delayed care delivery. Issues with system access, system configuration, and software updates also delayed care. In 18 studies (53%), IT problems were linked to patient harm and death. Near-miss events were reported in 10 studies (29%). The research evidence describing problems with health IT remains largely qualitative, and many opportunities remain to systematically study and quantify risks and benefits with regard to patient safety. The information value chain, when used in conjunction with existing classifications for health IT safety problems, can enhance measurement and should facilitate identification of the most significant risks to patient safety.

The Development of Work Instruction as a Solution to Handle IT Critical Incidents in Units within an Organization

In today’s business, it is almost impossible for any organization to close their eyes to the use of Information Technology (IT). The utilization of IT is usually given in a form of services called IT services which generally delivered not only for specific unit but for the whole organization. Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) is an academic institution which currently has 89 units. Even though IT services are provided and maintained by the ICT Directorate, IT local in each unit can use his discretion to develop his own IT initiatives. Ideally, the IT local should respond to any incident occurred in his unit before he escalates the incident to the directorate. Nevertheless, in most cases, IT locals pass through their own checking process while in fact, some incidents were originated from units. Thus, the ICT Directorate realizes the need to explore incidents that usually occurred in units and propose a solution to handle similar incidents happened in the future. This paper presents the work to identify major incidents which frequently occurred in units and from which propose Work Instructions (WI). The identification of incidents was conducted using Root-Causes Analysis while the categorization of major incidents was performed using Failure Modes, Effects and Critically Analysis. At the end, the WI for critical incidents were constructed. The result of the work is expected to be the guideline for IT locals in handling the IT problems and if it is possible, reduce the similar incidents in the future.

Descoberta de Padrões em Ordens de Serviço de Tecnologia da Informação em Hospital

The article presents a case study about KDD (Knowledge Discovery in Databases) application in IT (information technology) Service Orders (OS) in a hospital in the State of Parana, aiming to identify new practices to be applied in IT management. The research arose from the need to identify relationship patterns between hospital departments and IT, based on their IT problem demands. From these patterns it could be possible to assess the effective performance of the sector and identify any deviations or non-conformities. The experiment used classification and evaluated three methods, which made it possible to obtain rules capable of expert validation. The results produced in this study demonstrated the KDD applicability to obtain relevant knowledge to aid decision-making for investment in the betterment of IT services. Among them: the development of action plans for adjustment of inconsistencies in IT-managed OS requests; the establishment of new prioritization standards for emergency requests; the improvement, implementation and dissemination of new OS work procedures; and, as a consequence, a increase in agility and service quality and an improvement th IT relationship with other hospital sectors.

Understanding the innovativeness of information technology products and service providers in an IT cluster in Nigeria

Every society has social and other systems that encourage and promote, or otherwise, individuals to engage in creative processes and/or support new ideas and experimentation that may result in new products, services or technological processes. This study examined how the most popular innovation variables provide explanation for the capacity of information technology (IT) products and service providers in the Otigba Computer Hardware Cluster in Lagos, Nigeria to devise and harness new strategies of solving IT problems. The study also investigated the respondents’ capacity to acquire, assimilate, transform and use knowledge, and the relationship between these capacities and their innovativeness. Data were collected from 273 respondents with the aid of a questionnaire and an indepth interview schedule. The study confirms the importance of stronger networking for transfer of knowledge by showing that the respondents’ interaction with knowledge sources has strong relationship with their capacity to innovate, acquire, understand and use knowledge. However, innovativeness among the operators in the cluster is not necessarily a function of the traditional innovation variables of absorptive, acquisition, transformation, exploitation and other capacities. The capacity to transform knowledge into applications has a significant effect on the capacity of the operators to introduce new ideas, processes and techniques. Findings from the interviews reveal that the information technology products and service providers are able to devise new ways of solving old and new IT problems, especially as they relate to computer hardware. Research on innovativeness among operators in this cluster must seek explanation from local circumstances in addition to the popular recognised variables

EMITS: An Experience Management System for IT Management Support

This research focuses on the identification of relevant experience required for solving IT (Information Technology) problems in small- to medium-sized enterprises. To achieve this, we integrated information retrieval techniques with clustering and optimization techniques to design and develop a custom-built Experience Management system for IT management support. We have built and evaluated our system on three different publicly available data sets: Princeton, Parallels and GoDaddy. Results support that it is possible to provide the right mix of automation and manual activity for IT experience management while achieving a high accuracy.

Ontology-based Document Mining System for IT Support Service

Information Technology (IT) is a vital and an integral part of every organization. IT executives are constantly faced with problems that are difficult to tackle and time consuming. Experience is required to solve these problems easier and faster. We can utilize case-based reasoning (CBR), data mining and information retrieval (IR) techniques to automate IT problem solving and experience management. In this paper, we propose an IT ontology-based system for semantic retrieval that increases the efficiency and quality of IT support service. The proposed approach retrieves similar problem/solution pairs based on the concepts in the query and performs better than the traditional keyword-based approach especially in cases where the keywords of the relevant documents do not match the keywords in the query.

SEMANTIC APPROACH UTILIZING DATA MINING AND CASE-BASED REASONING FOR IT SUPPORT SERVICE

Information Technology (IT) plays a very important role in all organizations. IT executives are constantly faced with problems that are difficult to tackle. Failure in IT service can interrupt the functioning of an organization. Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) is a problem solving methodology where experience in the form of past cases can be used to solve problems, thereby assisting the automation of problem solving and experience management. Furthermore, the performance, quality and efficiency of CBR systems can be enhanced through data mining. In order to support the IT team for faster and efficient problem resolution, a case-based reasoning approach integrated with data mining techniques could be utilized. In this paper, the study done on various CBR systems and data mining techniques for problem and experience management is explained. A system is proposed for IT experience and problem management with semantic retrieval in order to increase the efficiency and quality of the IT support service.

A Real Options Model for Generalized Meta-Staged Projects—Valuing the Migration to SOA

This paper develops an innovative real options (RO) model for valuing multistage information technology (IT) projects that can be viewed as comprising meta stages. In RO literature, multistage investment programs have been treated as either interproject or intraproject programs, with intraproject programs being evaluated using n-fold Geske compound options and interproject programs valued using the so-called “subsidy-to-exercise price” logic. Our innovative RO model integrates the Geske compound option model with the subsidy-to-exercise price approach to value sequential investment programs that are neither purely interproject nor purely intraproject in nature but are composed of meta-stages. A meta-stage as a whole can be considered an interproject stage resulting in cash flows, but internally it consists of several intraproject stages that do not result in cash flows. We show that a key problem in IT, which is migrating to a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) for integrating a firm's many disparate applications, systems, data, and business processes, is best viewed as an investment program comprising meta-stages. Examining SOA migration from an RO lens is particularly apt at this time not only because of the importance of SOA but also because doubts have surfaced about the value of SOA. We illustrate our RO model by applying it to the simulated case of a firm migrating to SOA. We also develop a software tool based on the MathematicaTM computational platform so that practitioners can easily apply our innovative options pricing model to determine the true value of SOA in their business contexts.

Using Big Data Analytics in Information Technology (IT) Service Delivery

This paper provides some understandings on what big data analytics are, how they work, some of their applications and how big data analytics can improve the IT service delivery in typical IT organization or IT outsourcing service provider's environment. Both discussion and conclusion are also included. The applications of big data analytics include: recommendation, clustering, classification and frequent pattern matching. Examples for the application of big data analytics are categorized into: a) IT staffing and resourcing, b) IT service level and problem management, and c) IT governance and risk management. Some challenges of adopting big data analytics are also discussed which include: a) Big data analytics are not for everyone, b) Shortage of big data analytical skillset, c) Ethical consideration, and d) Careful planning on what big data to collect.

Information Technology: A challenge to the Creation and preservation of trustworthy electronic records in the public service of Namibia

As organisations increasingly adopt the use of information and communication technologies, the corresponding increase in thecreation of electronic records has brought about a number of recordsmanagement challenges. These manifest themselves in a number ofways. Problems associated with the management of electronic records are organisational and technical. This article focuses on the technical problems, which are normally looked upon as the “usual” IT problems but have a significant impact on the creation and preservation of trustworthy electronic records. Using examples from the public service of Namibia, the article reiterates the call for collaboration between records managers and information technology (IT) professionals in designing systems that take cognisance of records management requirements, and concludes by calling upon recordsmanagement professionals to make IT professionals understand whatrecords management principles are and how they may contribute to the creation and preservation of trustworthy electronic records.

The Learning Curve of IT Knowledge Workers in a Computing Call Center

We analyze learning and knowledge transfer in a computing call center. The information technology (IT) technical services provided by call centers are characterized by constant changes in relevant knowledge and a wide variety of support requests. Under this IT problem-solving context, we analyze the learning curve relationship between problem-solving experience and performance enhancement. Based on data collected from a university computing call center consisting of different types of consultants, our empirical findings indicate that (a) the learning effect—as measured by the reduction of average resolution time—occurs with experience, (b) knowledge transfer within a group occurs among lower-level consultants utilizing application-level knowledge (as opposed to technical-level knowledge), and (c) knowledge transfers across IT problem types. These estimates of learning and knowledge transfer contribute to the development of an empirically grounded understanding of IT knowledge workers' learning behavior. The results also have implications for operational decisions about the staffing and problem-solving strategy of call centers.

Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Information Systems for Law Enforcement—A Long-Term Design-Science Research Project

The design science research (DSR) paradigm prescribes building and evaluating an Information Technology (IT) artifact to address organizational problems incorporating and enhancing relevant theories. In this article, we present a large-scale design science project that aims to address problems in the digital-government domain. The COPLINK project started at the University of Arizona with National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funding to integrate data from multiple law-enforcement databases and subsequently broadened in scope and funding to develop methodologies for capturing, searching, analyzing, and visualizing information for law-enforcement, intelligence, and national security applications. The project involves a complete spectrum of DSR activities including problem diagnosis, technology invention, technology evaluation, and theory building, while contributing to appropriate knowledge bases and making a significant impact on the real-world IT problems. Algorithms, methodologies, techniques, and the resulting Information Systems designed as part of the project are being successfully used in over 300 law-enforcement agencies, and have generated more than forty peer-reviewed publications. In this article, we describe these artifacts and the design process behind them, present summaries of evaluative studies, and discuss the factors that we believe were behind the success of this decade-long DSR project.

Dynamic lifecycle management of IT services in corporate information systems

In information technology (IT), a serious problem is the lack of a single integrated, logically consistent model of the corporate information system that has been adopted by business and by the IT community. Numerous publications on this subject provide only a qualitative idea of the individual components within the corporate information system: the business pro� cesses and their simulation; the design of systems for implementation of the business processes; and the corresponding technologies for software development. There are considerably fewer publications regarding the simulation and design of dataprocessing centers, the introduction of information systems, and the orga� nization of corporate IT services. The lack of a generally accepted integrated model of the corporate information system does not mean that there are no efficiently operating IT organiza� tions. However, it means that the operation of most such organizations is far from perfect and is accompa� nied by unproductive discussions of the value of IT services to corporations; raiding of the IT budget by top management; disorganized system development and introduction; poor organizational structure of the IT services; the lack of highquality models of hard� ware operation in dataprocessing centers; and defec� tive IToutsourcing decisions. The fundamental concepts that permit the integra� tion of the basic IT components into a single logically consistent model of the corporate information system include business service, IT service, and service lifecy� cle. The concepts of service and its lifecycle permit satisfactory representation of the operation of the cor� porate information system as a logical sequence of processes and functions and provide the basis of the effective solution of many pressing IT problems. They also clarify the relation between the business and IT and, correspondingly, clarify such concepts at IT strat� egy, IT investment, and IT outsourcing. Thus, the methodology of Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) is based on the concepts of service and the lifecycle of service and its stages, as well as description of processes and functions intrinsic to each stage—from notification by the business that a service is required to its implementation. These con� cepts have been introduced in the third version of the ITIL library (2007) (1). We now outline the basic principles of the control model for ITIL services.