Information Architecture for Quality Management Support in Hospitals

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Information Science
• Organizational Studies

Background:

• Quality Management (QMS) is crucial for organizational success and sustainability.
• Information Architecture (IA) supports knowledge management and process optimization.
• Computer tools integrated with IA enhance efficiency in making more with less.

Purpose of the Study:

• To plan an Information Architecture (IA) for a hospital's Quality Management System (QMS).
• To develop and implement a computer application (QUALITUS) to support the hospital QMS.
• To evaluate the impact of the IA and QUALITUS on hospital quality management processes.

Main Methods:

• Formal planning of Information Architecture (IA) for a hospital QMS.
• Development and implementation of the QUALITUS computer application.
• Assessment of gains in quality management processes within a hospital unit.

Main Results:

• The IA facilitated process reinvention, procedure reformulation, and inter-actor cooperation.
• The QUALITUS application significantly accelerated the quality management process.
• Reductions were observed in tasks, documents, data entry, and information errors.

Conclusions:

• A formal IA is vital for effective QMS in healthcare organizations.
• Computer applications like QUALITUS, supported by IA, yield significant operational gains.
• This approach enhances competitive edge and sustainability in hospital management.