C45. Rice, R.
E. (2004). Social aspects of implementing a hospital information
system:
Cure or symptom? In P. Whitten & D. Cook (Eds.). Understanding
health
communications technologies: A case study approach (pp. 19-29). San
Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Medical information systems are crucial components of health
service.
But sometimes, rather than curing information and health care problems,
such implementation both represents and creates symptoms of
organizational
problems. This confusion between “cure” and “symptom” is partially due
to the fact that social and organizational factors tend to be
overlooked
in information system design and implementation, but they often play
the
primary role in influencing the success or failure of these hospital
information
systems. This case reports quantitative and qualitative insights
into the two-year process of implementing an integrated medical records
information system in one health care organization. In the end, it's
not
clear whether the system was primarily a cure for the organization's
information
ailments, or primarily a symptom of deeper organizational problems.
Click
here for PDF copy of publication