The IT artifact is at the core of the information systems (IS) discipline and yet most IS research does not directly theorize the IT artifact or its nomological network (Benbasat and Zmud 2003; Orlikowski and Iacono 2001). This research seeks to answer a repeated call for more direct engagement with the IT artifact and its nomological net with affordance theory adopted as the basis for this theoretical work. An exploratory case study was conducted to answer the research question, how do the material properties of health information systems enable and constrain the work practices of clinicians? The study was conducted at a large urban acute care hospital in the Midwestern United States with registered nurses working on inpatient care units as the clinicians of interest. Through interviews with nurses and other clinical stakeholders and the observation of nurse’s work practices on three patient care units in the hospital, theoretical insights were developed on the nature of affordances for information systems research. IS affordances are defined in this study as relationships between abilities of an individual and features of an information systems within the context of the environment in which they function. The concepts of an affordance range and an affordance threshold are proposed as theoretical constructs in the nomological network of affordances that help to explain the use of information systems as a function of the difficulty of acting on IS affordances. The relationship between affordances and constraints is theorized and linked to the affordance range and threshold with the assertion that constraints are closely associated with the difficulties experienced by users in acting on IS affordances. The challenge of studying IS affordances in all their complexity is discussed with the suggestion that researchers take the user’s perspective of affordances to alleviate the need for repeated decomposition. Finally, the role of information systems in facilitating social interaction is emphasized through the concept of affordances for sociality. The contribution of this research to the IS field is a more nuanced understanding of the nature of the IT artifact and its relationship to the users of that technology.

A major problem to be solved in health informatics is high quality, structured and timely data collection. Standard terminologies and uniform domain conceptual models are important steps to alleviate this problem which are also proposed to enable interoperability among systems. With the aim of contributing to the solution of this problem, this study proposes novel features for the Archetypes and multi-level modeling technique in health information and knowledge modeling. The study consists of the development of a research prototype for endoscopic data management, and based on that experience, the extension of Minimal Standard Terminology in Digestive Endoscopy (MST). A major contribution of the study consists of significant extensions to the modeling formalism. The proposed modeling approach may be used in the design and development of health information systems based on archetypes for structured data collection, validation and dynamic user interface creation. The thesis work is aimed to make considerable contribution to the emerging Electronic Health Records (EHR) standards and specifications.

Usability testing is a branch of usability engineering that focuses on analyzing and improving user interactions with computer systems. This testing technique has been used in different industries for years and has proven to be very useful in determining major issues with applications before they are released, however the use of this technique has been slow to gain widespread acceptance in testing health information systems. This study was designed to determine if a specific form of usability testing, Low-Cost Rapid Usability Testing, can be introduced as a standard part of the system development lifecycle (SDLC) for health information systems in a cost effective manner. To determine if this was possible a full cost-benefit analysis of Low-Cost Rapid Usability Testing was performed on a health information system, the BC Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Toolkit, tracking all of the costs involved in the testing process and comparing them against the possible costs that may have been incurred if this testing was not performed. It was found that by introducing this technique into the system development lifecycle to allow for earlier detection of errors in a health information system it is possible to achieve an estimated 36.5% to 78.5% cost saving compared to the impact of errors going undetected and causing a technology-induced error. Overall it was found that Low-Cost Rapid Usability Testing can be implemented in conjunction with other testing techniques in a cost effective manner to develop health information systems, and computer systems in general, which will have a lower incidence of technology-induced errors. / Graduate

Introdução: Dados da Organização Mundial da Saúde apontam a intoxicação como um importante problema de saúde pública em todo o mundo, especialmente em países subdesenvolvidos ou em desenvolvimento. Objetivos: estimar a taxa de mortalidade e descrever os óbitos por intoxicação exógena (IE) no município de São Paulo (MSP) no ano de 2014. Métodos: Utilizaram-se as informações dos registros dos óbitos (causa básica) no Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade (SIM) e no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN). Para o relacionamento probabilístico foram selecionadas as variáveis: nome, data de nascimento e sexo. Foram utilizados os softwares OpenRecLink para o linkage, Stata® para análise de dados e o TabWin para a distribuição espacial dos óbitos por IE. Os óbitos foram descritos em relação às características do local de ocorrência, circunstância da exposição, grupo do agente tóxico e classificação final. Foi utilizado o método de captura-recaptura para estimar o número de óbitos, após o relacionamento dos bancos de dados. Resultados: Os dados do SIM apontaram para uma taxa de mortalidade por IE de 5,2/100.000 habitantes no MSP, em 2014. O distrito administrativo de São Miguel apresentou a maior taxa de mortalidade 12,2/100.000 habitantes. A maior parte dos óbitos (n=412) foi atestada por médico do IML. O sexo masculino foi o que apresentou maior frequência (71 por cento ). A faixa etária de maior mortalidade foi a de 20 a 39 anos. Foi possível identificar uma grande diferença entre o número de óbitos por intoxicação registrado no SIM (n=596) e o estimado (n=1.514,5) pelo método de captura-recaptura. A taxa de mortalidade estimada pelo método de capturarecaptura foi de 13,2/100.000 habitantes. Dessa forma identificou-se um sub-registro de óbito de 60,6 por cento . Conclusões: Os resultados mostram que a mortalidade por IE é subestimada quando comparada a calculada a partir da captura-recaptura de dados. O relacionamento das bases de dados é importante para estimar a magnitude da ocorrência dos óbitos por IE. Há a necessidade de formulação de políticas públicas voltadas à prática da vigilância das intoxicações, qualificação dos profissionais da assistência à saúde para o diagnóstico das IE e capacitação aos responsáveis pelo registro dos casos / Background: Data from the World Health Organization indicates poisoning as a major public health problem worldwide, especially in underdeveloped or developing countries. Objective: to estimate the mortality rate and to describe deaths from exogenous poisoning (EP) in São Paulo city in the year 2014. Methods: Data from the death records (basic cause) were collected in the Mortality Information System (MIS) and in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (NDIS). For the probabilistic relationship the following variables were selected: name, date of birth and gender. OpenRecLink software was used for linkage, Stata® for data analysis and TabWin for spatial distribution of deaths by EP. Deaths were described in relation to the characteristics of the place of occurrence, exposure circumstance, toxic agent group and final classification. The capture-recapture method was used to estimate the number of deaths, after the linkage of the databases. Results: The MIS data pointed to a mortality rate by EP of 5,2/100.000 inhabitants in São Paulo city in 2014. São Miguel administrative district presented the highest mortality rate 12,2/100.000 inhabitants. Most part of the deaths (n=412) were attested by IML doctor. The male gender was the one with the highest frequency (71 per cent ). The age group with the highest incidence was 20 to 39 years. It was possible to identify a large difference between the number of intoxication deaths recorded in the MIS (n=596) and the estimated (n=1.514,5) by the capture-recapture method. The mortality rate estimated by the capture-recapture method was 13,2/100.000 inhabitants. In this way, a 60,6 per cent underreporting of death was identified. Conclusions: The obtained results show that the mortality by EP is underestimated when compared to the calculated from the capture-recapture data. The linkage of databases is important to estimate the magnitude of the occurrence of death by EP. There is a need for formulation of public policies aimed at the practice of poisoning surveillance, qualification of health care professionals for the EP diagnosis and training of those responsible for case registration

Os sistemas de informação em saúde permitem melhorias no processo de gestão e assistência ao paciente. A fundação HEMOBA é responsável pela assistência médica e transfusional de grande parcela da população baiana, pelo SUS, em seu ambulatório transfusional e de atendimento à pacientes com doenças hematológicas benignas. A doença falciforme (DF) é uma das doenças hereditárias mais prevalentes no mundo, sendo a Bahia o estado brasileiro onde é encontrada sua maior prevalência. A transfusão sanguínea é uma das bases para o seu tratamento. Não existe sistema informatizado no atendimento desses pacientes nem banco de dados sobre essa população na instituição. OBJETIVO: Desenvolver um Software para seguimento transfusional em hemoterapia, com ênfase no acompanhamento de pacientes falciformes, possibilitando descrever e analisar aspectos transfusionais dessa população e dos doadores. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Foi desenvolvido um Software, denominado BDTrans, utilizando a metodologia de Ciclo de Vida de Desenvolvimento de Sistemas, que possibilitou um estudo analítico, transversal, com abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa, dos dados extraídos do sistema. Foram acompanhadas crianças falciformes, de 0 a 18 anos, em regime transfusional, atendidas no ambulatório da Fundação HEMOBA. RESULTADOS: Foram incluídos 108 pacientes, destes 58% apresentavam DTC alterado e 38% apresentavam passado de AVC. As crianças residentes em Salvador correspondiam a 34%. A maioria das transfusões foi iniciada na faixa etária entre 2-8 anos (61%) e 9-12 anos (24,7%). 28% dos pacientes iniciou o regime transfusional em 2011, seguido dos anos de 2012 com 16%. A prevalência de aloimunização eritrocitária foi de 26%, sendo os principais aloanticorpos contra antígenos do sistema Rh e Kell. CONCLUSÃO: A utilização do Software possibilitou tornar os dados mais acessíveis para análise clínica e epidemiológica, auxiliando na gestão e assistência à saúde. O sistema poderá ser utilizado como base para o desenvolvimento de um programa de fidelização de doadores fenotipados em um futuro próximo. / Softwares built for data collection from Health Centers are important tools for patient care and for public health decisions. The HEMOBA foundation is responsible for health assistance of a great proportion of the population from the State of Bahia, including medical care and transfusional assistance to patients with benign hematological disorders. Sickle cell disease is one of the most prevalent hereditary disorders in the world, and the State of Bahia has the highest prevalence of the S mutation in Brazil. Blood transfusion is one of the treatment modalities for sickle cell patients, and there is no software for data collection of the clinical and transfusional program. OBJECTIVE: to develop a software to help follow up the transfusional program of the HEMOBA foundation, including the sickle cell patients, collecting transfusional data and blood donor information. MATERIALS AND METHODS: we developed a software called \"BDTrans\", using the methodology of the \"Cicle of Life System Development\", that allowed an analytical, transversal study with both qualitative and quantitative approach of the data extracted from the program. Sickle cell children from 0 to 18 years who were on transfusion at The HEMOBA foundation were the subject of our study. RESULTS: 108 sickle cell patients were included, 58% had brain vasculopathy and 38% had a history of stroke. 34% of the children lived in Salvador. The age range of the children when the transfusion program started was between 2-8 years (61%) and 9-12 years (24.7%). 28% of the patients started the transfusional program in 2011, and 16% started in 2012. The prevalence of red cell alloimmunization was 26%, most of the antibodies were against Rh and Kell blood groups. CONCLUSION: The utilization of the BDTrans Software promoted the collection of clinical and transfusional data from sickle cell patients, possibilitating the evaluation of their transfusional program, and providing important information to the public health system. The software can also be used to develop a fidelization program of phenotyped blood donors in the near future.

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / Health information systems (HIS) have much to offer in managing healthcare costs and in improving the quality of care for patients. However, the adoption of HIS can cause problems to health professionals in terms of efficiency as well as to the entire health organization in terms of acceptability and adaptability. The development of a national Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy in Zambia was initiated in 2001 through an extensive consultation process which involved academics and civil society organizations. The aim of using ICT is to improve the quality of health service delivery at local levels. Maramba and Mahatma Gandhi Clinics are the largest primary health care (PHC) clinics in Livingstone and have been prioritized for the implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR) system. The current study explored health care workers' perceptions and experiences of the use of ICTbased EMR and factors that could determine acceptability of EMR at Maramba and Mahatma Gandhi clinics to feed into future program improvement.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / A phenomenological philosophy underlies this research study which attempts to understand clinicians’ perception and understanding of an electronic patient record (EPR) system currently operational at a hospital in the Western Cape Province in South Africa (SA). Healthcare is a human right, thus patient records contain critical data and mostly paper-based in many SA hospitals. Clinicians are the EPR primary users and their attitude in its use is important for its success. This study explores, identifies and determines clinicians’ cognitive attributes towards EPR with a technology use framework developed. An initial quantitative approach was applied but unsuccessful due to low sample size. A pilot study was then conducted using 11 respondents. Purposive sampling was first initiated then snowball introduced later to improve the sample size qualitatively. Interviews were administered to 15 clinicians and tape recorded. Narrative content analysis was used as the preferred analysis technique because of the advantage of gaining direct information from study participants, unobtrusive and a nonreactive way to study the phenomenon of interest. Research findings tested 12 propositions and found high impact relationships between attitude (ATT) and each listed theme namely: perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), complexity (COM), facilitating condition (FC), use behaviour (USE). Use behaviour had high impact relationships with storage (STO) and retrieval (RET). There were moderate impact relationships between PU and USE; PEOU and PU; RA and ATT; job fit (JF) and ATT; USE and share (SHA). The implication here is that any EPR system to be implemented should be tested using this framework to ascertain its usefulness and fit with a hospital's objectives and users expectations. By so doing, anticipated problems can be mitigated against and resolved before implementation. The study contributes to the information system (IS) body of knowledge through the technology use framework. The framework is for adoption by hospital management and its use by clinicians where EPR is operational. Traditional IS frameworks can be adopted for hospitals about to implement EPR because of the relevance of the "intent to use" theme.

O processamento automático de dados hospitalares tem uma grande importância nas tomadas de decisão em ambientes de saúde. Gestores e profissionais dessa área podem utilizar ferramentas e sistemas de informação que facilitem a visualização e análise destes dados. Neste sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho foi propor uma metodologia de análise que auxiliasse estes profissionais da saúde na gerência de dados hospitalares. Particularmente, esta nova abordagem foi o estudo e a inserção de uma estatística de segunda ordem, que é o caso da competição entre hospitais, no Portal Web do Observatório Regional de Atenção Hospitalar, que tem como objetivo divulgar informações estatísticas de assistência hospitalar. Para isso, foi desenvolvida uma ferramenta para expressar a competitividade entre dois hospitais a partir da medida de Aproximação Relacional proposta por Min-Woong Sohn. Os resultados mostraram que a ferramenta desenvolvida não só permitiu que fosse realizada uma classificação dos hospitais do DRS-XIII com relação à força competitiva exercida por cada um deles no mercado hospitalar, como ainda possibilitou uma maior exploração da medida proposta por Sohn. Isso se deve ao fato da ferramenta disponibilizar aos usuários um conjunto de filtros que permitem a realização de diversas consultas em tempo real. Essa característica contribuiu para a identificação de importantes fenômenos que não seriam reconhecidos no método tradicional. / The automatic processing in hospital data has great significance in making decisions at healthcare environments. Managers and professionals in this area can use tools and information systems to facilitate the view and analyze of these data. In this context, the intent of this study was to propose a methodology of analysis to support healthcare professionals in the management of hospital data. Particularly, this new approach was the study and the inclusion of a second order statistic, which is the case of competition among hospitals, in the Web Portal of the Regional Observatory of Hospital Care (Observatório Regional de Atenção Hospitalar - ORAH), which aims to disseminate statistical information of hospital care. For this, we developed a tool to express the competition among two hospitals using the measurement Relational Approach proposed by Min-Woong Sohn. The results showed that the developed tool not only allowed a classification of DRS-XIII hospitals about competitive force exerted by each of them in the hospital market, but also allowed greater exploitation of the measure proposed by Sohn. This is because the tool provide users a list of filters that allow you to perform several queries in real time. This characteristic has contributed to the identification of important phenomena that would not be recognized in the traditional method.

Includes bibliographical references / Problem Statement: The use of mobile technology in health (mHealth) has been ascribed as transformative power in the health systems of the developing countries, especially for improving healthcare delivery in rural areas. However, the full potential of mHealth has not been realised and there is a dearth of evidence on effectiveness and impact. This has limited informed policy-making, affecting the buy-in from investors and policy makers, and limiting adoption and scaling up of mHealth interventions that could benefit rural communities. Purpose of the research: The main objective of this study was to examine how mHealth interventions contribute to maternal health outcomes in a developing country context, at a micro level. The specific aims were to examine how mHealth outcomes for maternal health consumers in rural communities are produced and how variations in outcomes can be explained. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a critical realism approach, and drew on Capability Approach as a theoretical lens, with the aim to explain how and why mHealth interventions work in maternal health, for whom, and in what circumstances; by analysing patterns between context, mechanisms and outcomes. Data for this research was obtained through semi-structured interviews with users of mHealth in maternal healthcare in Malawi, and various project stakeholders. Project documents were also used as secondary data. Findings: mHealth interventions may affect maternal health outcomes and service delivery through multiple mechanisms. Three different types of mechanisms were found to produce mHealth outcomes for women in maternal health. These were: Technology adoption mechanisms that led to the uptake and adoption of mHealth services in maternal health; agential mechanisms that facilitated agency of consumers in achieving health goals; and health system mechanisms for realisation of desired health outcomes. A myriad of personal, sociocultural, and environmental factors either activated or inhibited the mechanisms, resulting invaried outcomes for the women. Originality/contribution: mHealth as a complement to existing maternal health services can lead to improvement in consumer behaviour and experiences, and even clinical outcomes. This research has highlighted a pathway through which mHealth outcomes are produced for consumers in maternal health. This process starts from mHealth acceptance and adoption as a technology by the consumers; to women acting as agents of their own health by utilising the opportunities generated by mHealth; and finally health system efficiencies for provision of adequate care to the women. This understanding of how mHealth works in maternal health can improve design and operations of such interventions for effectiveness that may lead to the realisation of its full potential.

This dissertation comprises three papers introducing strategies, models, and frameworks to guide pandemic response. The first paper uses a novel mathematical model to analyze the coordination between government and humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in response to pandemics. This is a vital form of public-private partnership between governments as the primary source for the humanitarian supplies required during a crisis and aid organizations. This coordination involves the equitable distribution of personal protective equipment, including face masks and face shields among health workers, patients, and the public in hospitals. Considering social costs such as deprivation and equity costs in the model, in addition to the other important classic cost terms, enables managers to organize the best possible response when such outbreaks happen. The second paper introduces a decision support framework designed to assist healthcare managers, and clinical informatics specialists in analyzing and selecting the most appropriate consensus algorithm for their organization's blockchain-based health platforms, with a specific focus on managing pandemic-related information. Blockchain technology holds great potential in addressing pandemics by enhancing security and transparency in various aspects of pandemic tracking and mitigation while promoting public engagements by facilitating real-time exchange of electronic health information. By improving information sharing and coordination among healthcare organizations, it offers more effective response efforts and helps reduce the spread of viruses. However, the performance of consensus algorithms, which are a crucial component of blockchain architecture, can vary, posing a challenge in selecting the appropriate algorithm. To address this, the framework incorporates two techniques: data envelopment analysis (DEA) and the ranking distribution technique. DEA enables the analysis of efficiency without relying solely on expert judgment, providing a more objective assessment. The ranking distribution technique enhances differentiation among algorithms, providing decision-makers with a robust basis for selecting the most suitable blockchain architecture and its associated properties. The third paper focuses on the challenges of disseminating guidance-related information to the public during a pandemic, specifically the role of opinion leaders as reliable sources of information. The study determines the practical characteristics of pandemic opinion leaders on public attitudes using surveys and identifies domain-sensitive pandemic opinion leaders on Twitter based on the discovered characteristics using social network analysis and text mining. The framework's results show that pandemic opinion leaders are active in eight different domains on the Twitter platform. Results also demonstrate that trust is the most influential characteristic of pandemic opinion leaders, while expertise, uniqueness, innovation, and reputation also play important roles. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation presents a collection of three research papers that offer insights and practical techniques and strategies to effectively tackle the challenges posed by pandemics through enhanced information sharing, public engagement, and robust public-private partnerships. The first paper introduces a novel mathematical model that thoroughly examines the collaboration between governments and humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) during crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. The model's primary focus is on the equitable distribution of vital supplies, including face masks and shields, to healthcare workers as well as the public. By incorporating considerations of social costs, fairness, and other critical factors, this model aids managers in organizing the most efficient response to initial impacts of outbreaks within a short-term planning horizon. Our primary objective is to ensure the prompt and equitable delivery of essential supplies to individuals in need, achieved primarily through establishing strong public-private partnerships. The second paper proposes a decision support framework for healthcare managers, IT analysts, and clinical informatics specialists to help them effectively analyze consensus algorithms, as the most important layer of blockchain architecture. The framework further helps them select the most suitable algorithm for their organization's blockchain-based health platforms, aligning with specific policies, needs, requirements, and goals in managing pandemic-related information. Blockchain technology offers potential in tracking medical supplies, identifying virus hotspots, and verifying protective equipment authenticity to manage pandemics. By enhancing information sharing and coordination among healthcare organizations, blockchain can minimize virus spread and improve overall response efforts. The proposed framework reduces reliance on expert judgment and addresses data uncertainty when selecting proper algorithms for blockchain-based information management systems in mitigating the effects of pandemics. The third paper delves into the intricate challenges associated with effectively disseminating guidance-related information to the public during a pandemic, placing particular emphasis on the pivotal role played by opinion leaders (OLs) as reliable sources. This study thoroughly examines the distinctive characteristics of pandemic OLs and their profound influence on public attitudes. By employing surveys, social network analysis, and text mining techniques on Twitter data, the research successfully identifies OLs within distinct pandemic-related domains. The study's significant findings provide insights into the dynamic role assumed by pandemic OLs on Twitter and their consequential impact on public perception and behavior across various domains. Ultimately, the dissertation findings strive to support decision-makers and public health officials in their efforts to effectively manage pandemics and protect public health. The research emphasizes facilitation of seamless, rapid, and dependable information sharing across various planning horizons.