Design, implementation and evaluation of a digital healthcare management system : a pilot study in pediatrics department of a hospital

Abstract EN

Background: Information is the foundation for policymaking, planning, programming, and accountability.

Health informatics is the intersection of information science, computer science, and health care.

It deals with the resources, devices, and methods optimizing the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information in health and biomedicine.

Most professionally run hospitals and clinics now rely on Hospital “or Healthcare” Information Management Systems (HIMS) that help them manage all their medical and administrative information.

Objective: to execute and test the design, implementation and evaluation of a HIMS and testing the application in a Heliopolis, Cairo- based hospital.

Methodology: Data for this study were collected by the use of different tools to address five key areas: 1.

An analysis of the need for a HIMS.

2.

Benefits of HIMS 3.

Analysis of data of hospital health workers perceptions towards implementation of HIMS 4.

Testing and application of HIMS in pediatrics- related departments 5.

Suggestions for selecting and improvement of HIMS.

Results: Although they want more training on the use of the system, more computers and timely information, health workers perceptions indicate their satisfaction with the ease of use of HIMS and that it is important in many ways for the smooth running of the hospital.

Conclusion: HIMS has significant direct and indirect benefit to patient service quality and the development of organizational capabilities for linking strategy formulation and implementation, process improvement, decision- making, medical, and epidemiological research/reporting and performance feedback.

Although problems can be identified during the process of using HIMS, the benefits outweigh the difficulties, thereby justifying their use.