I've Been Thinking

Health Information Systems
  • Home

  • The application of IT to the Health industry has had mixed results. Many of the simpler applications, such as diagnostic and other devices as well as administrative systems have had reasonable success.

    In September 2015 I  presented a paper at an Enterprise Architecture Conference ( http://enterprisearchitectureconference.com.au/ )  held in Sydney

    The paper concentrated on health information systems that support health care decision making. The objective was to review the nature of the problems that health information systems attempt to solve and makes the case for a much more sophisticated and advanced approach than that used in industries with more standardised business processes.

    It is based upon the recognition that health care is a wicked problem, beset by uncertainties, multiple stakeholders and competing objectives. In addition the introduction of automated health care information systems is being used to increase efficiency and effectiveness by changing health care decision making processes, something that is likely to change the nature of the problem of health care decision making, thus reinforcing its “wickedness”

    A revised and updated copy of the paper is available here.

    Bernard Robertson-Dunn,
    1 June 2018