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Building and growing a hospital intranet: a case study
K R Ong1, M Polkowski, G McLemore
1Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers, Department of Information Systems. kong@cmcny.com
Journal of Medical Internet Research
|November 27, 2001
Summary
This study demonstrates that creating a cost-effective hospital intranet is achievable. Key challenges included gaining buy-in from stakeholders and digitizing existing content for the new intranet.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Hospital Information Systems
- Digital Health Implementation
Background:
- The intranet is a rapidly evolving technology in large hospitals.
- This paper details the initial phase of an intranet project across a multi-hospital system in New York City.
Purpose of the Study:
- To promote intranet adoption among healthcare professionals and staff.
- To develop the intranet cost-effectively by leveraging existing resources.
Main Methods:
- WebTrends Log Analyzer was employed to measure intranet usage.
- Usage was assessed based on access counts from various hospital departments.
Main Results:
- Developed features included medical knowledge resources, clinical guidelines, patient education, and discussion forums.
- Analysis of 890,000+ hits showed high usage in Library, Physicians Gateway, Marketing, Information Systems, and Nutrition departments.
- 74% of 819 unique visitors accessed the intranet multiple times.
Conclusions:
- Implementing and disseminating an intranet within a multi-hospital system can be done cost-effectively.
- Significant challenges involved convincing opinion leaders and stakeholders of the intranet's value.
- Converting existing print content to digital formats required obtaining files from departments or publishers.