HEALTH UNIT

Information systems play a major role in managing resources in the health sector



Table of Contents

Introduction3

Framework for analysis4

Methods of data gathering5

The historical context of information systems development7

Analysis of the case using a contextual framework9

Process of FHSIS development and implementation11

Underlying infrastructure issues12

Context of the FHSIS13

Discussion15

Conclusions and recommendations19

References22

Information systems play a major role in managing resources in the health sector

Introduction

Investments in information technology (IT) have been escalating in developed countries over the last two decades and managers in the business sector have been increasingly sceptical of the efficiency of these investments (Magnani, 1990). Spending in the health sector seems to portray similar trends in implementing information systems (IS) for the health services ( De Luca, 1991). On the other hand, the failure rate of applications is high enough to be of concern, ( Lorenzi & Riley, 1994) There are examples of successful implementation of computerised information systems in the health sector of developing countries (Wilson, Echols, Bryant & Abrantes, 1988).

However, due to the scarcity of resources, even failures of systems with modest investments translate to a major loss with high opportunity costs to the health systems in poorer countries. It has been shown that the causes for such failures and the poor performance of IT diffusion in developing countries is due to the variance in cultural values with the process of IT adoption ( Walsham, G., Symons, V. and Waema, T., 1990. Information systems as social systems. In: Bhatnagar, S. and Bjorn-Andersen, N. Editors, 1990. information technology in developing countriesa, pp. 51-61.Walsham, Symons & Waema, 1990; Madon, 1992). Vendors of IT, mostly from developed countries tend to focus on technical issues for solving “information” problems of developing countries, though the urgent need is to deal with the management of the technology ( Mohan, Belardo & Bjorn-Andersen, 1990).

At a meeting held in the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organisation (WHO), countries of the region identified major problems of introducing IT to be (a) lack of skilled computer programmers leading to reliance on expatriate staff, (b) dearth of maintenance and back-up support and (c) the lack of standards for hardware and software. They did not identify skills in management of the technology or IS project management to be an issue ( World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 1990). Many of the developing countries represented at the meeting at that juncture (1990) had only very modest investments in IT in health services. This situation has changed over time, with significant investments in IT often funded with donor-aided projects and bank loans.

Framework for analysis

Models used in the analysis of the adoption of information technology in organisations, identify a supply push credited by the development of new technology and a demand pull due to stakeholders of IT (El Sway, 1985). The literature in this area is loosely grounded in theory as most studies have not been able to shed light on why organisations acquire IT and what factors influence their adoption. Part of the adoption process involves changes in the ...