A multimethod approach to evaluating critical care information systems

There is increasing awareness of the importance of evaluating and measuring the impacts of a critical care information system (CCIS). Recent evaluation studies provide little information useful to a healthcare team in evaluating a CCIS in practice. A CCIS is expected to have many direct benefits, such as increased user job satisfaction and increased documentation efficiency, accuracy, and quality. This paper reviews a rigorous longitudinal evaluation methodology being employed by a freestanding tertiary care pediatric hospital as they implement a CCIS. The metrics are being used to document the impact, strengths, and limitations of the CCIS they are installing. The main phase of the implementation is currently under way, and results will be released when the evaluation is complete. This article serves to provide an overview of the evaluation methodology for others to consider as they embark on similar endeavors.