Information System Evaluation
As a nurse practicing in the age of technology, it is important for you to discriminate between HIT system evaluation and other forms of evaluation. As a doctorally prepared nurse, you may have the opportunity to become involved with the HIT system evaluation process. How can you guide your practice setting to meaningfully evaluate HIT systems? What strategies might you employ to assess the outcomes and effectiveness of a HIT system?
To prepare:
- Reflect on the information presented in the Learning Resources, focusing on the various strategies used to evaluate the effectiveness of a health information system.
- Consider the strategies you use to evaluate other health care issues. How are those strategies similar or dissimilar to those used for evaluating a health information system?
post a cohesive response that addresses the following:
- Differentiate the process of evaluating health information technology systems from other types of evaluation in health care.
- What specific strategies might you employ for an information system evaluation?
- What factors might you examine to judge the system’s effectiveness?
- Assess the main challenges of designing a successful information system evaluation.
Required Readings
Course Text: American Nurses Association. (2008). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice. Silver Spring, MD: Author.
“Standard 6. Evaluation” (p. 78)
This standard outline nursing competencies for evaluating informatics systems.
Nahm, E., Vaydia, V., Ho, D., Scharf, B., & Seagull, J. (2007). Outcomes assessment of clinical information system implementation: A practical guide. Nursing Outlook, 55(6), 282-288.e2.
The authors of this article use their background in informatics and scholarly research to provide an overview of system evaluations for frontline clinicians.
Rahimi, B., & Vimarlund, V. (2007). Methods to evaluate health information systems in healthcare settings: A literature review. Journal of Medical Systems, 31(5), 397-432.
A detailed analysis of recent HIT literature reviews is presented in this article. Common facets of the evaluation process and end benefits of the overall HIT system are also synthesized.
Wyatt, J. (2010). Assessing and improving evidence based health informatics research. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 151, 435-445.
The findings in this article provide HIT researchers with impacting factors and suggested criteria to help with the development of research questions, methods, and study designs.
Healthcare Information and Management Systems (HIMSS). (2011).
Retrieved from http://www.himss.org/ASP/index.asp
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems (HIMSS) organization is dedicated to providing global leadership in the use of information technology. Use their website to explore how HIMSS is transforming health care through research, collaboration, and professional developments.
Required Media
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Transforming nursing and healthcare through technology: Evaluating healthcare information systems. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 11 minutes.
George McCulloch discusses the business, organizational, clinical, and financial considerations for implementing and evaluating an information technology solution.
Optional Resources
Runy, L. A. (2009). IT challenges in physician practice management. Hospitals & Health Networks, 83(11), 37-43.
