The Monitoring of Healthcare Information Systems

The article is dedicated to the investigation of the way in which the healthcare information system is to be kept under surveillance. The process of monitoring the earlier mentioned field is associated with the notion of information management within the healthcare institutions.

Therefore, the text will begin by explaining what the monitoring process implies. It comprises the management of information, the management of application systems and the management of information and communication technology, regardless if computer supported or not. Information management is very important as it ensures function, performance and quality for the healthcare information system.

The actors taking part in this process of monitoring are persons or organizational units invested with the responsibility of planning, directing and monitoring the healthcare information system. So that the goals of the healthcare institution are coherent with the processing of information, the information management has to be carried out systematically. The current problem within this complex activity is that, while planning and directing are performed quite comprehensively through strategic planning and project management, the monitoring part is somehow neglected. Since a constant and systematic monitoring ensures the interaction with all other management tasks, this process should not be disregarded.

The text continues by describing in detail the implications of the monitoring of healthcare information systems. In order to say that monitoring of HIS goes well, then the directives and objectives established and outlined in the strategic information management plan have to be reached and the task required from HIS must be fulfilled. In other words, information management must constantly assess the condition and status of the healthcare system relative to quality criteria, which have been derived from the primary objectives. This is why feedback mechanisms are very important within the framework of supervising HIS. Directing and planning are adapted on the basis of these results provided by the feedback.