Synergistic Development of Information Systems and Quality Management in Healthcare

Abstract

We present an approach for the synergistic development of information systems (IS) and quality management systems (QMS) in healthcare. Canonical action research is our mode of inquiry to address the multidimensional hospital quality: ISO 9001 certification, hospital accreditation, and IS quality. Our study tests and extends the ISO2 approach in two hospital services: emergency and pediatric care. Hospitals present challenging realities in their complex socio-technical structure. Our approach suggests self-evaluation by hospital professionals and the contrast of opinions to identify IS development opportunities, while contributing to quality awareness and the adoption of quality principles in business processes. The proposed approach allows (1) self-evaluation, (2) joint design, and (3) continuous improvement planning of hospital processes. Moreover, it supports diverse quality models in healthcare and the development of heterogeneous IS solutions in different maturity stages.