Health Care Management and Information System in NHS London

Analysis of the Health Care Management and Information System in NHS London.

Virender Singh

Research Proposal MBA

Table of Contents

Rational of Research…………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Specific Aim………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3

General Objectives……………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Literature Review ………………………………………………………………………………………………………4

Statement of the Problem ……………………………………………………………………………………………5

Scope of the research…………………………………………………………………………………………………..6

Research Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………………………6

Significance of research ………………………………………………………………………………………………6

References………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7

Rational of Research

A Management Information System (MIS) gives data that is required to oversee associations effectively and successfully. MISs are not just computer systems, these systems include three essential segments: engineering, individuals (people, groups or associations), and information for decision making. Assessment is one of the beginning steps in any planning process and one worry of evaluation is recognizing nature of problems, their magnitude of severity, conveyance and patterns. It serves to focus quality and shortcomings of the current existing system. Evaluation is an efficient collection and investigation of information required to make decision, a methodology in which most well-run projects captivate from the start. Enhancing any data framework implies as a matter of first importance distinguishing qualities and shortcomings of existing framework in order to concentrate on areas functioning the least. Healthcare Management Information System (HMIS) appraisal is then the early step in the procedure for strengthening and enhancing it so it is paramount to identify data issue at its root and arrangement for more coordinated methodology for development at each one level.

Specific Aim:

To assess the current Health care Management Information Systems to find out its focus quality and shortcoming.

General Objectives:

1. To create solutions for improving the current issues, improving existing framework to have well reported framework in order to meet the demand of end user.
2. Developing strategies to enhance automated documentation of information.
3. Developing strategies so that the employees can use information legitimately for proper planning and surveying the current circumstances.
4. Encouraging the use of Health care Management Information System for enhancing clinical consideration.
5. Evaluating the capacity of front line employees for the best possible utilization of electronic information system.

Literature Review

Information needs to be decently characterized at each level in the event of information collection, processing of data, information transmission and there ought to be fitting feedback system. Computer technology can enormously improve and facilitate the data processing storage and retrieval so it is critical to upgrade computer systems, have proper security and proper insurance of the software.

There ought to be constant appraisal on relevant timeliness and use of data at all levels. Planning ought to be contrasted with the actual performance in order to reflect changes and timely feedback the significant obstacles to viable and enhanced healthcare administration in the third world countries as absence of data is for the most part present. Well designed routine information framework guarantees that services are conveyed as per the standard as decision making methodology uses quantitative and objective data. Health information system is essentially needed for three major services. These include patient management, management of health units and management relating to health systems.

Healthcare Management Information System exists to bridge the gap between when a patient becomes sick and the response of health service providers. This is due to the fact that initially health care information systems were in existence only to gather data relating to the problem the patient is having, or in some cases a disease and health services outputs; however later on the health information systems are becoming the part of health systems and hold paramount significance in the planning and decision making of healthcare services.

The WHO theory is that the advancement of judiciously organized information system closely adjusted to the data needs of health services at all level including at the communities level can possibly help general improvement of health services management. The WHO has likewise accentuated that the absence of enhanced HMIS does not help in decision making process (Lippeveld, Sauerborn and Bodart, WHO, Geneva 2000).

The Healthcare Management Systems have potential significance, however despite this fact it is practically a major problem for third world countries in collection, compilation, analysis and utilization of healthcare information. Numerous nations have chosen to handle the issue of HMIS by tending to at its root, and arrangement for more coordinated methodology to enhance it. Nations like Cameroon, Tanzania, Pakistan, and Mozambique focused on routine Information System for primary care facilities (Lungo, 2003).

According to Rodrigues and Israel (1995) as cited by Lungo (2003), the drive for a change in HMIS has concurred with the data innovation since 1980s. WHO has additionally emphatically accentuated on the utilization of machine innovation in the outline of district-based health information system. However a considerable amount of countries which have computerized their HMIS are experiencing absence of properly trained staff and hardware and software Maintenance Problems (Campbell, 1997), (Hedberg 2003), (WHO 2004).

According to Braa et al (2003) as cited by Lungo (2003), the national health information systems in numerous developing nations have been unequivocally focused around the Primary Heath Care (PHC) administration. The district gets then the most fitting level for facilitating top-down and bottom up planning, for sorting out community involvement in planning, and execution, and for enhancing the coordination of government and private care. A broad participatory action examination began in South Africa which has additionally spread to different nations like Mozambique, Tanzania, and India. Health Information System Program (HISP) shows solid methodologies and address how to create district–based health information systems that is offered by open source software.

The contention is that local or provincial and district health managers and planners in the third world nations have not had the capacity to examine and translate such information for planning, and ought to be engaged through solid decentralization. Sandiford et al (1992) as cited by Lungo (2003), Computer-based data framework ought to be implemented to encourage better storage, investigation and dissemination of health information. However introducing computer technology in the improvement of health information system is not so much the silver-billet that tackles the efficiency issue of the health service.

Statement of the Problem

Regular issues in the utilization of IT incorporate absence of user-friendly hardware, poor framework support, and absence of sustainable energy source and deficiency of enough trained staff. Accordingly, it must be taken into consideration the primary thing in any case that the information entered must be precise; management must be equipped for controlling the computer system into meaningful data particularly when non-medicinal staff or low-level experts do the information gathering. In any case, the key issue to meaningful information lies in the faultless inputting of pertinent information and an institutionalized practical IT framework (Keen 1994). Under the technology of information administration; computers get vital to handle substantial volume of information or data in an organized and quick way for speed, quality, precession, clarity, consistency, dependability and proficiency. However, it cannot produce information rather it can just process it.

Despite the credible use of HMIS for evidence based decision making like strategic planning, enhanced patient care, proficient allotment of scarce assets and effective focusing of intervention to those in the greatest need heading for better result, however there is an enormous sympathy towards the improvement of the health care services delivery systems, which is generally seen to be attributed to the weaknesses of HMIS in the developing nations.

Scope of the research

The research will be based on Service Reporting System in the HMIS and is restricted to health facilities and management units at national health services.

Research Methodology

The research will involve choosing four primary care units from City of London. The questionnaire will be filled by all the individuals involved in the handling of HMIS. A questionnaire to be filled by the individuals who are directly involved in taking care of and utilizing HMIS at Primary health care centres, working for National Health Services (NHS). Individuals will complete the questionnaire and from these, the researcher will assess the current ongoing framework to determine strength and shortcomings, developing strategies and solutions to improve the flaws. Also analyzing the data on the latest version of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Significance of the research

Exploring the current HMIS situation in the area to recognize the qualities and weaknesses of the framework to address the problem areas. The concluding results of the research is relied upon to be useful and will input in improvement efforts of the HMIS and in the dissemination of learning picked up in the research.

References

Beaumont R ( ). Evaluating Health Information System, Introduction to Evaluating Health Information System.

Braa J (2003). Strategies for developing Health Information System in Developing Countries, South Africa.

Campbell, B B (1997). Health Management Information System in Lower Income Countries, Analysis of system design, implementation and utilization in Ghana and Nepal, WHO, New York.

Hiaasen D S and Striver D J (2004). A Framework for assessing HMIS in Developing Countries: Latvia as a case Study. (Proceedings of the 37th Hawaii International Conference on System Science).

Lippeveld T, Sauerborn R, Bodar C T (2000). Design and Implementation of Health Information Systems, WHO, Geneve.

Lungo J H, May 2003. Data Flows in Health Information Systems, University of Oslo, Department of Informatics, Norway.

O’Brien, J (1999). Management Information Systems – Managing Information Technology in the Internetworked Enterprise. Boston: Irwin McGraw-Hill.

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