Description

IFSM Information Systems in Health Care Organizations Discussion for Week 2

Topic: Analyze organizational processes to identify information systems requirements

For your Stage 1 assignment, you will analyze the processes at the Midtown Family Clinic to identify the essential requirements for the EHR system for the Clinic. For this discussion, you will practice analyzing processes and identifying functional requirements for a system to improve a process.

First, we need to be sure you can identify a process; many students have difficulty with that, so refer to the week 2 readings that describe various healthcare processes. Keep in mind that a process is a set of specified steps to accomplish a task.

Second, requirements for a system need to be clearly written so that the people who are developing the system or evaluating a system for use can discern whether the requirements are met or not. One set of criteria for writing clear requirements is referred to as “SMART” criteria, which means each requirement statement is:

Specific – Clearly and simply stated, and not likely to be mis-interpreted. Avoid such words as: and, or, but, soon, immediately, somewhat.
Measurable – Can be verified as complete or not. Avoid such words as: best, fastest, optimally.
Attainable – Able to be achieved; appropriate.
Realistic – Considering the project and other requirements, can this one be expected to be met.
Time-bound – If appropriate to the requirement, specifies when or how fast a requirement needs to be completed.