Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems Research Articles

Elizabeth King Eaton, 1943–2009

Elizabeth King Eaton, 1943–2009

Side-by-side, but from different worlds: service and resource provision by academic health sciences libraries to their affiliated hospitals.

The nature of the affiliations between large, academic health sciences centers and their teaching hospitals vary tremendously from institution to institution. During the past few decades, many university-run teaching hospitals have shifted governance to the private, corporate sector [1]. The sometimes complex governance and organizational structure among these institutions can complicate the library's provision of services and online resources. For example, since the 1997 merger of the university-governed hospital at the University of Nebraska Medical Center with a privately owned hospital, the university's McGoogan Library of Medicine has made great strides in extending services and resource access to the hospital. However, access to online resources such as electronic journals and other bibliographic and clinical tools remains a challenge. The authors searched the literature in hopes of finding guidance for navigating these challenges but found a substantive lack of journal literature regarding the relationship and resource sharing arrangements between the academic library and its institution's clinical partners. Information can be pieced together from articles about education, staff sharing, Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) projects, and consortia licensing among libraries and governments, but information that focuses on the academic health sciences library–hospital partnership and its challenges is lacking [2–8]. The 2006–2007 Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AASHL) annual statistics addressed library service to affiliated hospitals, asking many similar questions, but the AAHSL survey and data were not available until after this study was conducted [9].

Did You Know?

In response to public concerns about the consequences of research misconduct, academic institutions have become increasingly cognizant of the need to implement comprehensive, effective training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) for faculty, staff, students, and external collaborators. The ability to meet this imperative is challenging as universities confront declining financial resources and increasing complexity of the research enterprise. The authors describe the University of Pittsburgh's design, implementation, and evaluation of a Web-based, institution-wide RCR training program called Research and Practice Fundamentals (RPF). This project, established in 2000, was embedded in the philosophy, organizational structure, and technology developed through the Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems grant from the National Library of Medicine. Utilizing a centralized, comprehensive approach, the RPF system provides an efficient mechanism for deploying content to a large, diverse cohort of learners and supports the needs of research administrators by providing access to information about who has successfully completed the training. During its first 3 years of operation, the RPF served over 17,000 users and issued more than 38,000 training certificates. The 18 modules that are currently available address issues required by regulatory mandates and other content areas important to the research community. RPF users report high levels of satisfaction with content and ease of using the system. Future efforts must explore methods to integrate non-RCR education and training into a centralized, cohesive structure. The University of Pittsburgh's experience with the RPF demonstrates the importance of developing an infrastructure for training that is comprehensive, scalable, reliable, centralized, affordable, and sustainable.

Creating an Infrastructure for Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research: The University of Pittsburgh??s Experience

In response to public concerns about the consequences of research misconduct, academic institutions have become increasingly cognizant of the need to implement comprehensive, effective training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) for faculty, staff, students, and external collaborators. The ability to meet this imperative is challenging as universities confront declining financial resources and increasing complexity of the research enterprise. The authors describe the University of Pittsburgh's design, implementation, and evaluation of a Web-based, institution-wide RCR training program called Research and Practice Fundamentals (RPF). This project, established in 2000, was embedded in the philosophy, organizational structure, and technology developed through the Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems grant from the National Library of Medicine. Utilizing a centralized, comprehensive approach, the RPF system provides an efficient mechanism for deploying content to a large, diverse cohort of learners and supports the needs of research administrators by providing access to information about who has successfully completed the training. During its first 3 years of operation, the RPF served over 17,000 users and issued more than 38,000 training certificates. The 18 modules that are currently available address issues required by regulatory mandates and other content areas important to the research community. RPF users report high levels of satisfaction with content and ease of using the system. Future efforts must explore methods to integrate non-RCR education and training into a centralized, cohesive structure. The University of Pittsburgh's experience with the RPF demonstrates the importance of developing an infrastructure for training that is comprehensive, scalable, reliable, centralized, affordable, and sustainable.

Building Research Administration Applications for the Academic Health Center: A Case Study

The academic health center information environment is saturated with information of varying quality and overwhelming quantity. The most significant challenge is transforming data and information into knowledge. The University of Cincinnati Medical Center's (UCMC) focus is to develop an information architecture comprising data structures, Web services, and user interfaces that enable individuals to manage the information overload so that they can create new knowledge. UCMC has accomplished much of what is reported in this article with the help of a four-year Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) operation grant awarded by the National Library of Medicine in 2003. In the UCMC vision for knowledge management, individuals have reliable, secure access to information that is filtered, organized, and highly relevant for specific tasks and personal needs. Current applications and tool sets will evolve to become the next generation knowledge management applications or smart digital services. When smart digital services are implemented, silo applications will disappear. A major focus of UCMC's IAIMS grant is research administration. Testing and building out existing and new research administration applications and digital services is underway. The authors review UCMC's progress and results in developing a software architecture, tools, and services for research administration. Included are sections on the evolution to full integration, the impact of the work at UCMC to date, lessons learned during this research and development process, and future plans and needs.

Tracing technology in the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries.

From the beginning of the association, technology and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) have been intertwined. Technology was the focus of one of the first committees. Innovative applications of technology have been employed in the operations of the association. Early applications of mini-computers were used in preparing the Annual Statistics. The association's use of network communications was among the first in the country and later applications of the Web have enhanced association services. For its members, technology has transformed libraries. The association's support of the early development of Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) and of its recent reconceptualization has contributed to the intellectual foundation for this revolution.

ＩＡＩＭＳ（Ｉｎｔｅｇｒａｔｅｄ Ａｄｖａｎｃｅｄ Ｉｎｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎ Ｍａｎａｇｅｍｅｎｔ Ｓｙｓｔｅｍｓ）プロジェクトのための人と組織

The human resources required for the planning and implementation of several Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) were reviewed, and the following characteristics were identified; 1) leadership with an authoritative title; 2) vertical and horizontal “cross-sectional institution” committees serving as centralized structures for planning; 3) operational committees for implementation; 4) a centralized organization for IAIMS planning and implementation, with decentralized systems being the exception; 5) consultation with external experts, including IAIMS experts who have followed the projects; 6) coordinators for intrainstitutional communication; 7) reorganization of IT, related internal organization; 8) a department of medical informatics for research and development; 9) limited librarian leadership, but an expansion in the roles of librarians. These results may be useful for the introduction of similar integrated information systems in other medical institutions and a reconsideration of the role of information professionals in similar project.

IAIMS: an interview with Dick West. Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems. Interview by Joan S Ash and Frances E Johnson.

Richard T. West, IAIMS (Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems) Program Officer at the National Library of Medicine for 13 years, reflects on the origin, development, effectiveness, and future of IAIMS efforts. He dwells on the changes that have taken place as the concept of IAIMS has evolved from a technology-based to an organization-based level of integration. The role of IAIMS in patient care, education, and research is discussed, along with the role of the librarian in the implementation of IAIMS programs. He sees a need for training for librarians, informaticians, and others in preparation for these efforts and for the development of academic reward systems that encourage them. He expresses a desire for those working in information technology in hospitals to gain a clearer understanding of IAIMS, because the concept fits hospitals as well as academic health science centers. He exhorts informaticians to bring to reality the futuristic fantasies of a new information world.

Addressing the Health Information Needs of Rural Missouri Health Care Providers

A one-year internship at the University of Missouri-Columbia offered an opportunity for a health sciences librarian to contribute to Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) activities and take information management ideas back home. The IAIMS Assistant addressed information access issues. The Assistant helped to develop and administer a “Rural Provider Questionnaire” to assess the information needs of rural Missouri health care providers. The Health Sciences Library developed a Web page to bring together services and information resources in response to the perceived needs of health care providers, associated with the Health Sciences Center. The article discusses the librarians' role in IAIMS initiatives.

The Vanderbilt University fast track to IAIMS: transition from planning to implementation.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is implementing an Integrated Advanced Information Management System (IAIMS) using a fast-track approach. The elapsed time between start-up and completion of implementation will be 7.5 years. The Start-Up and Planning phases of the project are complete. The Implementation phase asks one question: How does an organization create an environment that redirects and coordinates a variety of individual activities so that they come together to provide an IAIMS? Four answers to this question are being tested. First, design resources to be "scalable"--i.e., capable of supporting enterprise-wide use. Second, provide information technology planning activities as ongoing core functions that direct local efforts. Third, design core infrastructure resources to be both reusable and expandable at the local level. Fourth, use milestones to measure progress toward selected endpoints to permit early refinement of plans and strategies.

Towards the design of a hypermedia journal

Project Envision, an early attempt to build a digital library of Computer Science literature underlined the importance of the provision of "task-oriented access to electronic archives" as an important digital library principle (Fox et al, 1993). Specifically, the pre-development user study found that among the features desired in a new system was the "ability to do domain-oriented tasks" (such as embed code for testing, access to analytical tools, access to source code in a choice of languages). Other digital library projects such as CORE which attempted to build a chemist's workstation (Lesk, 1991) and Georgetown University's implementation of the Integrated Advanced Information Management System (IAIMS) which designed different kinds of workstations based on user groups such as scholars, practitioners, researcher, faculty, student (Broering, 1993) have implicitly recognized that both the nature of work and the subject domain are important factors in the design of digital libraries that support work. This research proposes to study the work of professionals in a subject domain as a prelude to the re-design of an existing print document into an electronic document that can be used in support of their work.

Managing information in the academic medical center

The strategic importance of integrated information systems and resources for academic medical centers should not be underestimated. Ten years ago, the National Library of Medicine in collaboration with the Association of Academic Medical Centers initiated the Integrated Advanced Information Management System (IAIMS) program to assist academic medical centers in defining a process for addressing deficiencies in their information environments. The authors give a brief history of the IAIMS program, and they describe both the characteristics of an integrated information environment and the technical and organizational structures necessary to create such an environment. Strategies some institutions have used to implement integrated information systems are also outlined. Finally, the authors discuss the role of librarians in integrated information system design.

Medical Informatics Training at Columbia University and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center

The Department of Medical Informatics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons consists of a faculty of 17 full- and part-time faculty. The Department faculty collaborate with the Department of Computer Science and several clinical departments of the medical center. We offer courses in medical informatics, formal degrees (M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D.) and a postdoctoral training program. In addition to academic offerings, the close affiliation with the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and the primary responsibilities for clinical information systems offers trainees unique opportunities to work with and develop real-world applications. Faculty research programs include work on the Integrated Advanced Information Management System (IAIMS), Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), High-Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC), Electronic Medical Records, automated decision support and technology transfer through the Center for Advanced Technology.

The Annette and Irwin Eskind biomedical library at Vanderbilt

Opened in March 1994, the new library at Vanderbilt was planned to be at the intellectual and geographical heart of the medical center. Constructed of white precast blocks with a glass curtain wall, the building cost $12.5 million. Under an integrated advanced information management system (IAIMS) initiative, the building includes a center for biomedical informatics, which serves as the nerve center of the information enterprise at the medical center. Floor by floor descriptions are provided, including such design details as placing workstations directly inside the first floor entrance, a measure thought to contribute to increased use of the medical center network. User reaction to the building was highly positive in the first month of operation.

Integrated Advanced Medical Information Systems (IAIMS): Payoffs and Problems

IAIMS (Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems) is an initiative to improve the access to information needed to provide patient care, health-oriented education, biomedical research, and management of large medical center environments. This paper will review the goals, history, and accomplishments of the IAIMS initiative. Shortcomings and frustrations, lessons learned, and the future of such initiatives will also be discussed.

Integrated Advanced Medical Information Systems (IAIMS): Payoffs and Problems

IAIMS (Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems) is an initiative to improve the access to information needed to provide patient care, health-oriented education, biomedical research, and management of large medical center environments. This paper will review the goals, history, and accomplishments of the IAIMS initiative. Shortcomings and frustrations, lessons learned, and the future of such initiatives will also be discussed.