Strategic information management plans: the basis for systematic information management in hospitals

• Published in: International journal of medical informatics 2001-12, Vol.64 (2), p.99-109
• Main Authors: Winter, A.F, Ammenwerth, E, Bott, O.J, Brigl, B, Buchauer, A, Gräber, S, Grant, A, Häber, A, Hasselbring, W, Haux, R, Heinrich, A, Janssen, H, Kock, I, Penger, O.-S, Prokosch, H.-U, Terstappen, A, Winter, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Computerized, statistical medical data processing and models in biomedicine; General aspects. Methods; Hospital information system; Hospital information system management; Hospital Information Systems; Humans; Information Management; Medical sciences; Organizational issues; Organizational Objectives; Social Conditions; Strategic plan
• ISSN: 1386-5056; 1872-8243
• DOI: 10.1016/S1386-5056(01)00219-2

Information management in hospitals is a complex task. In order to reduce complexity, we distinguish strategic, tactical, and operational information management. This is essential, because each of these information management levels views hospital information systems from different perspectives, and therefore uses other methods and tools. Since all these management activities deal only in part with computers, but mainly with human beings and their social behavior, we define a hospital information system as a sociotechnical subsystem of a hospital. Without proper strategic planning it would be a matter of chance, if a hospital information system would fulfil the information strategies goals. In order to support strategic planning and to reduce efforts for creating strategic plans, we propose a practicable structure.