Research information systems are path to high-quality healthcare

Research is the key to dealing with the major issues facing the healthcare industry. And an information system for organization and management research is a necessary component in healthcare organizations. Research information systems should support action, not theory. Their purpose is to educate information users about their system of services; provide data for planning, developing, directing, and evaluating both technical and management work; and provide a basis for "steering" the program. Four key subjects for a research information system are service activities, patient characteristics, costs and budget, and outcomes. The goal in developing a research information system is to integrate the various types of information into a format that provides the information for management use at a given time. Development of a research information system requires concentrating on the design and the process of developing and using the data for action research. Each design step requires an analysis of existing and future research requirements, of what clinical and managerial leaders would like to know. Identifying users is important, since they will ultimately judge the adequacy of the system. Each user has to make decisions based on the data. Such decisions include setting goals, forming policy, organizing activities, and budgeting.