¶ … Health Information Technology (HIT)
Under the terms of the current financial and regulatory environment, it is highly incumbent upon healthcare institutions to operate utilizing the most current and compliant Health Information Technology (HIT). But implementation and maintenance are not sufficient alone to ensure that an adopted strategy is achieving its desired or optimal outcomes, particularly not in an era of such fast-moving change for the healthcare industry. This is why, beyond implementation and maintenance, proper evaluation of implemented systems is an absolute necessity. The dimensions of this evaluation are discussed here below.
Strategies for Evaluation:
Conducting an evaluation of a recently implemented or long-ingrained HIT system can be a distinct challenge. This is because there are many factors to consider when rendering a meaningful assessment. Most comprehensive HIT systems will be designed to integrate a wide range of functionalities relating to one's Electronic Health Record, the ability to engage in a state or federal Health Information Exchange, the privacy and security capabilities of the system and the accessibility provided to end-users such as healthcare providers and patients. This is why most the research available on the subject urges the use of multiple systems...
According to the text by Nahm et al. (2007), the best strategy is to combine a number of evaluative measurements in order to deliver a definable performance index. To this end, Nahm et al. The outcomes in their study "have been assessed employing various methods, including randomized controlled trials, pre- and post-test studies, time and motion studies, surveys, and user testing." (p. 282)
This directly informs the strategy for evaluation that will be taken going forward with the present implementation. That is, we would intend to employ a combination of quantitative evaluation where pre and post testing would be used to determine positive or negative changes in system efficiency, accountability and completeness. This would be supplemented by field evaluation through oversight of equipment in usage and through consultation with end users. Qualitative survey methods would be used to incorporate feedback from those with the most intimate experience with the implemented technology. Factors such as accessibility, workflow compatibility and integrative seamlessness would be considered here.
Judging System Effectiveness:
In order to judge the effectiveness of the implemented HIT system, it is necessary to select appropriate outcomes for measurement. This…
