Information System Contributions to Decision Making in Research and Education, Research Paper Example

Information systems have many unique uses. Not only can they be utilized to enhance the quality of patient care, the data that is collected could be analyzed in a manner that helps facilitate decision making in research and education. One of the most important functions of information systems as they pertain to research is that since the system can be used to store patient data, this information could be de-identified and used to uncover trends that describe trends among patients in the hospital (Fichman et al., 2011). This information can be used to generate a retroactive understanding of local health care needs and clinical trial or longitudinal studies can be developed using this data as a basis for understanding. Comprehending baseline data is essential in many cases because it will ensure that longer and more resource intensive studies are designed in a meaningful and results-oriented manner.

Just as this information can be used to further health care research, it could also be used to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the performance of employees and trainees (Huston, 2013). Information systems data could be used to gain an understanding of what mistakes are regularly made within an individual health care institution or department, which will allow supervisors to react by implementing useful training programs for their employees that target indicated deficiencies.

As a whole, the data collected by information systems is useful because it will help the health care facility understand areas of improvement in terms of both research and education needs. While the information stored in these systems sometimes require additional exploration to help the health care staff gain a sufficient understanding of their department’s situation, information systems serve as an excellent starting point for beginning large scale improvement projects.

References

Fichman R.G., Kohli, R., Krishnan, R. (2011). The Role of Information Systems in Healthcare: Current Research and Future Trends. Information Systems Research, 22(3): 419–428.

Huston, C. (2013). The Impact of Emerging Technology on Nursing Care: Warp Speed Ahead. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 18(2): Manuscript 1.