Implementing a HIS the introduction of a new information system can nevertheless
ID: 111095 • Letter: I
Question
Implementing a HIS
the introduction of a new information system can nevertheless bring considerable stress to an organization and its staff, especially if the implementation strategy is not well defined and the actual implementation of that system not well planned. The more care that is taken to identify and address even small details and concerns up front, the less likely it is that there will be major headaches later on.
a, consider the types and purposes of systems that are implemented in health care organizations and the needs of the diverse stakeholders (including providers, staff, and patients) who use these systems. Then select a specific type of system that is used in a health care organization.
· As a member of a cross-functional team charged with leading the implementation of this new system at your health care organization, what are two challenges that your team might expect to encounter during the implementation process? Why?
• What do you consider to be two critical factors for the successful implementation of that system? How do you think these two approaches will help mitigate the anticipated challenges?
Explanation / Answer
Information and communication systems are crucial for the health care delievery systems. It includes patients, care team, health care organisation and the political economic environment. In order to diagnose and treat each individual patient effectively, care team as well as individual care provide should have access to information like health record of the patient, provider orders which guide the patient's care, abruptly changing medical evidence base, patient's values and preferences, administrative information like availability of resources like beds, personnel etc.
For this at the organisational level, hospitals need information about financial, clinical and administrative data to control and access the productivity and quality of their operations. Also at the environmental level, the environmental regulating agencies need information on the health status of the population and the productivity and the quality of their operations to protect and monitor the public health, increase research and disseminate new forms of care and knowledge in the medical field.
Although information gathering, processing management, communication are important to the health care systems but they are far behind in comparison to other sectors in investment in information and communication technologies. Due to this underinvestment, little progress has been made in meeting the information needs of patients, hospitals, clinics, providers, regulatory, financial and environment in which they are operating. Since 1960s little effort has been put to develop and implement the electronic records of patients and other clinic informations. Many factors are responsible for the lack of information technologies in health care systems like cultural and organisational barriers due to rigid division of labours in health care systems and its hierarchical nature, presence of undercapitalised small businesses or provider groups than compared to other sectors, lack of transparency in market for health care services as well as payment or reimbursement regimes which discourage the private sector investment in the information technologies.