(Answered) Imagine that you are the Director of Health Information for a large hospital. As Director, you sit on various institution-wide committees that govern the organization’s policies. In collaboration with

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Introduction:
As the Director of Health Information for a large hospital, data security, systems capabilities, health information technology, information management plans, and system development life cycle are crucial areas that need careful consideration. Therefore, this paper will appraise at least two policies that cover data security, critique the systems capabilities to meet regulatory requirements, critique at least two human factors and user interface design of health information technologies, evaluate a health information system’s architecture in terms of database design and data warehousing, participate in developing information management plans, and analyze at least two challenges that exist in each phase of the systems development life cycle.

Part 1:
The policies covering data security are of great importance to the hospital. Two vital policies are audit trails and data quality monitoring programs. Improvements can be made in the following areas:
– Design of audit trails: The audit trails should be capable of capturing all activities, modifications, and access to sensitive data. A recommendation is to include an auto-generation feature that creates a backup copy of the database for comparison periodically.
– Data quality monitoring programs: The hospital should focus on implementing a data quality monitoring program that will compare patient data with the original data source to ensure accuracy. A recommendation is that the hospital uses automated checks to monitor the accuracy and completeness of the data.

Part 2:
To meet regulatory requirements, the system capabilities relating to electronic signatures, data correction, and audit logs must meet specific standards. Critiquing the system capabilities, here are the recommendations:
– Electronic signatures: The hospital should implement a robust electronic signature authentication process that meets regulatory requirements. A recommendation is that the hospital adopts the use of biometric authentication where possible.
– Data correction: The hospital must ensure that data correction capabilities support full auditing of changes and enforce audit logs. A recommendation is that the hospital trains staff on the importance of data corrections and enforces the use of audit logs to improve accuracy.

Part 3:
Human factors and user interface design of health information technologies play a massive role in the usability of health information systems. Recommendations that improve device selection based on workflow, ergonomics, and human factors are:
– Workflow: The device should support and adapt to the hospital’s workflow to reduce errors and improve efficiency. A recommendation is that the hospital customizes settings, features, and workflows to their specific needs.
– Ergonomics: The device should be easy to use and built with an ergonomic design that reduces user fatigue and improves user satisfaction. A recommendation is that the hospital invests in devices that are adjustable and support multiple work postures.

Part 4:
System architecture is critical to ensure the effectiveness of data warehousing and database design. Issues related to systems implementation such as system testing, interface management, and data relationships, must be carefully characterized. The hospital can improve by adopting the following recommendations:
– Database design: The hospital’s database should have a robust architecture that supports scalability, data security, and user access management. A recommendation is that the hospital ensures that data modeling is conformant with industry standards, codes, and data definitions.
– Interface management: The hospital should ensure that the system interface is user-friendly and effective in transferring data across the different health information systems. A recommendation is that the hospital invests in technologies that support effective interface management.

Part 5:
Developing information management plans that support the organization’s current and future strategies and goals is essential. Issues related to corporate strategic plans, information management plans, and disaster and recovery planning must be considered in the development of information management plans. Recommendations to address some of these issues include the following:
– Corporate strategic plan: The hospital should ensure that their information management plan aligns with their corporate strategic plan to support growth and sustainability. A recommendation is to create a committee that reviews the hospital’s strategic plan periodically.
– Disaster and recovery planning: The hospital should have a robust disaster and recovery plan that provides both backup and failover mechanisms. A recommendation is that the hospital invests in reliable storage media that allows for full data recovery in the case of a disaster.

Part 6:
In each phase of the systems development life cycle, various challenges exist. For instance, with EHRs, some challenges may include interoperability, usability, and privacy concerns. Recommendations to address these challenges include:
– EHRs: The hospital should ensure that the EHRs support interoperability across different healthcare systems. A recommendation is that the hospital selects EHRs that have an open architecture to enable easy system integration.
– HIEs: The hospital should ensure that their HIE system supports the exchange of health information between different healthcare providers. A recommendation is that the system design should support confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.

Part 7:
Analyze at least two (2) challenges that exist in each phase of the systems development life cycle. Distinguish issues related to EHRs, HIEs, and RECs within your analysis. Some of the challenges in each phase of the systems development life cycle include:
– Planning phase: The hospital may face challenges in defining the scope of the health information system development project. With EHRs, the hospital must decide which features to include or exclude from the system.
– Design phase: The hospital must decide on the appropriate system architecture for the health information system. With HIEs, the hospital must develop an interface that supports seamless exchange of data between different providers.
– Implementation phase: The hospital must install and configure the health information system. With RECs, the hospital may face challenges in complying with regulatory standards.
– Maintenance phase: The hospital must perform system monitoring, backup, and recovery. With EHRs or HIEs, the hospital may need to upgrade the system to support new healthcare standards.

Conclusion:
The above recommendations aim to improve the hospital’s data security, system capabilities, human factors and user interface design. Additionally, it aims to improve the information management plans, evaluate the health information system’s architecture in terms of database design and data warehousing, analyze the challenges that exist in each phase of the system development lifecycle. Adopting these recommendations will ensure that the hospital’s systems meet regulatory requirements, promotes efficiency, and improves patient care.

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