Investigating evaluation frameworks for health information systems

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Information Systems Evaluation

Background:

• Health Information Systems (HIS) evaluation is key to assessing their role in healthcare delivery.
• This paper provides an overview of evaluation methodologies in health informatics and information systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an overview of evaluation in health informatics and information systems.
• To critically appraise HIS and IS evaluation frameworks.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of HIS and IS evaluation discourses, dimensions, and methods.
• Critical appraisal and comparison of selected HIS/IS evaluation frameworks.
• Analysis based on the inclusion of human, organizational, and technological factors.

Main Results:

• HIS evaluation increasingly focuses on human/organizational issues and subjectivist approaches.
• Current evaluation methods are complementary, assessing different HIS aspects.
• Existing evaluation methods show potential for improvement.

Conclusions:

• HIS evaluation is complex, with a risk of measuring irrelevant aspects.
• A comprehensive HIS evaluation framework incorporating technological, human, and organizational factors is feasible and desirable.
• Improved HIS evaluation frameworks can better support healthcare delivery services.