Assessment of effectiveness expenditures of pharmacy information system in medication-related services in hospitals of Iran

Background: On average, 40% of the gross income of each country is devoted to the health care with medication expenditures accounting for 19% of the total expenses. Less than ¼ of the medication expenditures is allocated to the inpatients department. The measures taken regarding the management of expenditures when selecting and implementing the strategies for managing medication expenditures have made the pharmacists to take the quality issues as well as the safety of the patients into account.Methods: The present research intends to explore the expenditures of effectiveness of Pharmacy Information System (PIS) for the medication services as far as effectiveness of delivered services is concerned in some selected hospitals in the city of Isfahan, Iran. The present research of applied and descriptive-analytical nature was conducted in the hospitals in the City of Isfahan, Iran. Instruments used for collecting data included self designed checklist conforming to the guidelines of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) the validity of which was assessed based on the viewpoints of the expert professors. The data gathered by interview and observation methods. Then, they were analyzed using non-parametric tests of Mann-Whitney and the Wilcoxon tests and SPSS software (11.5 version).Results: The highest rate of the expenditures of the effectiveness of the pharmacy information system belonged to the teaching hospitals with a mean score of 48.5%, while the lowest rate was found to be for private hospitals with a mean score of 28.1%. Based on the findings of the Wilcoxon test, no statistically significant difference was observed among the hospitals in terms of effectiveness-related expenditures.Conclusions: Given the results of the study, it can be noted that a successful plan for managing the medication-related expenditures must be information-based

Assessment of effectiveness expenditures of pharmacy information system in medication-related services in hospitals of Iran

Background: On average, 40% of the gross income of each country is devoted to the health care with medication expenditures accounting for 19% of the total expenses. Less than ¼ of the medication expenditures is allocated to the inpatients department. The measures taken regarding the management of expenditures when selecting and implementing the strategies for managing medication expenditures have made the pharmacists to take the quality issues as well as the safety of the patients into account. Methods: The present research intends to explore the expenditures of effectiveness of Pharmacy Information System (PIS) for the medication services as far as effectiveness of delivered services is concerned in some selected hospitals in the city of Isfahan, Iran. The present research of applied and descriptive-analytical nature was conducted in the hospitals in the City of Isfahan, Iran. Instruments used for collecting data included self designed checklist conforming to the guidelines of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) the validity of which was assessed based on the viewpoints of the expert professors. The data gathered by interview and observation methods. Then, they were analyzed using non-parametric tests of Mann-Whitney and the Wilcoxon tests and SPSS software (11.5 version). Results: The highest rate of the expenditures of the effectiveness of the pharmacy information system belonged to the teaching hospitals with a mean score of 48.5%, while the lowest rate was found to be for private hospitals with a mean score of 28.1%. Based on the findings of the Wilcoxon test, no statistically significant difference was observed among the hospitals in terms of effectiveness-related expenditures. Conclusions: Given the results of the study, it can be noted that a successful plan for managing the medication-related expenditures must be information-based

Assessing the performance of the radiology information systems in use in the teaching hospitals of Isfahan city based on the Great Britain’s royal college of radiologists’ guidelines

Background: Radiology Information System (RIS) coordinates the organizational processes and administrative based on information. The present study was an attempt towards a performance assessment of the RISs used in general Isfahan hospitals.  Methods: This study was descriptive cross-sectional in nature. Its statistical population consisted of the general teaching hospitals of Isfahan city (Iran). Due to the limitedness of the population of study, the sample size was the same as the population size. The data were collected using a self-designed checklist produced based on the royal college of radiologists’ guidelines, i.e. input components (13 items), process components (10 items) and output components (8 items). The researcher collected the data through observation and interview. The validity of the checklist was assessed by the health information system field’s valid authorities. Finally, the gathered data were put into SPSS 16 software and analyzed using descriptive statistics.  Results: Among the RIS in the hospitals, Kashani, Isa Ibn Maryam and Nour & Ali Asghar had the highest rank for input components (mean score = 30.79%). As for process components, Al-zahra, Kashani and Isa Ibn Maryam gained the highest position (mean score = 38.9%). Finally, Al-zahra and Kashani hospitals with a mean score of 66.66% enjoyed the highest rank for output components.  Conclusion: RIS must be capable of satisfying a number of requirements including satisfying the medical needs of the patients, producing the reports, image and report processing, patients’ appointment scheduling, the procedures for receiving and administrating the orders and other radiology procedures.

The consistency rate of causes of Death in different components of child mortality Surveillance System in hospitals affiliated with the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences

Background and aims: Child mortality Surveillance System is Iranian children mortality database nationwide and internationally. The aim of this study was to investigate one of the the most important features of data quality, i.e. Accuracy, through examining the consistency rate between the underlying mortality causes registered in the software and those extracted from medical records among children. Methods: This descriptive, analytical study was performed by census and the medical files of all 104 children aged 1-59 months died between March 21, 2013 and September 22, 2015 in six hospitals affiliated with the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences were studied. The data were gathered by a researcher-developed questionnaire under supervision of a pediatrician. To investigate the consistency rate of mortality causes, chi-square and Fisher's Exact test and Kappa coefficient in SPSS was used. Results: The consistency rate between the mortality causes registered in the software and the underlying mortality causes extracted from the medical Records, and death certificate was 0.60 and 0.57, respectively. These consistency rates are considered moderate. The consistency rate between the underlying mortality causes recorded in the death certificates and the medical files was derived 0.84, considered an optimal level of consistency. Conclusion: According to the findings, it is essential to develop certain interventions such as training and requiring operators to be adequately tactful for recording underlying mortality causes with reference to death certificates and medical files, hiring operators who are knowledgeable about the international protocols of selection of mortality cause or planning for use of the underlying causes registered in the encoding unit of the software, and enhancing the software and accuracy of information elements registered in the software

The Survey to Determine the Accuracy Rate of the Neoplasm Coding in Seyed Al-Shohada Hospital of Isfahan

Introduction: The use of cancer suffering patients' information is possible when this information was organized and categorized properly through encoding the diagnoses and therapeutic procedures. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine the accuracy rate of the neoplasm coding in Seyed Al-Shohada Hospital of Isfahan city in 2011. Method: This study was a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The population of this study were medical records created during the second half of 2011,308 ones of which were selected as sample. A self-designed checklist was the research tool, which was used after validation. Data analysis was performed using SPSS v16. Software through descriptive statistics. Results: Investigating the surveyed records, the researchers found that the accuracy rate of the records in this hospital was 68%. Also the highest accuracy rate of the coding has been associated with neoplasms of the connective tissue (94%). Conclusion: Regarding the obtained results, it is recommended that coding of morphology & related Z codes of neoplasms be set in coders' work order. It is also recommended that continuous educational coding courses be held in order to increase the accuracy rate of the neoplasm coding

An evaluation of adherence to society of pharmacists' standards care in pharmacy information systems in Iran

Introduction: Pharmacy information system (PIS) is a complex computerized system used for collecting, storing, and managing the medication therapy data in the course of patients' care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of adherence to the standards established by the societies of pharmacists in the PISs employed in the hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. Methods: The present study was an applied, descriptive-analytical study conducted on the PISs of 19 teaching, private and social insurance hospitals in Isfahan in 2011. Study population consisted of the PISs available in the hospitals under study. Study sample was the same as the study population. The data collection instrument was a self-developed checklist based on the guidelines of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, whose validity was assessed and confirmed by expert professors' views. Having been collected by observation and interview methods, data were analyzed by SPSS 18 software using Mann-Whitney statistical test. Results: The findings of the study revealed that the highest rank in adherence to the standards of societies of pharmacists was obtained by social services hospitals (32.75%), while the private hospitals obtained the lowest rank (23.32%). Conclusions: Based on the findings, in the PISs in the hospitals under study, some standards of the society of pharmacists were ignored. Hence, prior to designing and implementing PIS, a needs analysis is required to increase its users' motivation to identify the system potentialities and to allow the system development in compliance with the world technology advancement

An assessment and comparison of information quality of hospital information systems in medical-teaching hospitals of the city of Isfahan based on delone and McLean's modified model

Background: Taking the positive effects of the hospital information systems on patients' treatment process and organization's function into account, it is necessary to evaluate information quality provided by such systems. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess and compare information quality of hospital information systems in medical- teaching hospitals of Isfahan based on the DeLone and McLean's modified Model. Methodology: This research was applied and analytical-descriptive in nature and was performed in medical-teaching hospitals of Isfahan in 2010. Research population consisted of hospital information system's users, system developers and IT authorities selected by random sampling method. Data collection instrument was self-designed questionnaire. Questionnaires' reliability was estimated by using Cronbach's Alpha coefficient that was found to be 94.08 and 96.8 for system users' questionnaire and system developers and IT authorities' questionnaire, respectively. Results: According to the findings of the study, the difference between the mean scores gained for information quality of all kinds of HISs and different hospitals were statistically significant, i.e. they were not the same (p<0.05). Generally, Kowsar system (new version) and Rahavard Rayaneh system gained the highest and lowest mean score, respectively. The total mean scores obtained for observing the standards stipulated for information quality was 60.2 for all hospital information systems and 60.8 for different hospitals, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results of the research, it can be inferred that based on the applied model, the levelof observing the criteria of hospital information system was rather optimum. Thus, in order to reach a completely optimum condition, it is necessary to pay particular attention to the factors improving information quality, type of activity, type of specialty and property type

A survey on the users' satisfaction with the hospital information systems (HISs) based on DeLone and McLean's model in the medical-teaching hospitals in Isfahan city

Background and purpose: The user's satisfaction with information system in fact denotes the extent the user is satisfied with the system's achievement in fulfilling his/her information requirements. This study tries to explore the users' satisfaction with hospital information systems (HISs) based on DeLone and McLean's model focusing on the medical-teaching hospitals of Isfahan city. Methodology: This study which was applied and descriptive-analytical in nature was carried out in the medical-teaching hospitals of Isfahan city in 2009. Research population consisted of the system users from which a sample was selected using random sampling method. The size of the sample was 228. Data collection instrument was a self-developed questionnaire produced based on the satisfaction criterion in the DeLone and McLean's model. Its content validity was assessed based on the opinions given by the computer sciences professionals with its estimated Cronbach's alpha found to be 92.2. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. Findings: As the findings of the study showed, the differences among the mean scores obtained for the satisfaction with different kinds of HISs in use in the hospitals were statistically significant (p value≤0.05). Generally, Kowsar System (old version) and Pouya Samaneh Diva system gained the highest and lowest mean scores for the criterion in question, respectively. The overall mean score for the satisfaction was 54.6 for different types of systems and 55.6 among the hospitals. Conclusion: Given the findings of the study, it can be argued that based on the used model, the level of users' satisfaction with the systems in question was relatively good. However, to achieve the total optimum condition, when designing the system, the factors affecting the enhancement of the users' satisfaction and the type of hospital activity and specialty must be given special consideration. © AVICENA 2014

An assessment of emergency department information systems based on the HL7 functional profile

CONTEXT: Emergency Department Information System (EDIS) plays a significant role in supporting the emergency department (ED) workflow. Hence, it is vital to assess the services provided by this system in order to identify its strengths and weaknesses. AIMS: The study aimed to assess the information systems in use in the ED of 11 teaching hospitals associated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IUMS) so as to identify their strengths and weaknesses and improving the quality of these systems. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study was conducted using descriptive-applied research method. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data collection tool was a checklist developed based on EDIS functional profile. It covered two sections of the profile, namely direct care and supportive functions and their respective subsections. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics through the estimation of the frequency and frequency percentage for each respective section and subsections using SPSS software v. 20. RESULTS: The content conformance rate of the information systems in use in the EDs of IUMS' teaching hospitals was found to be 49.72% and 75.25% for the direct care section and supportive functions section, respectively. In addition, the overall conformance rate in the hospitals surveyed was up to 53.15%. CONCLUSION: As per the findings of this study, it is suggested that some important clinical and administrative functions should be incorporated into the redesigned information systems in use in the EDs under study

Information Sharing and Information Quality in the Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Chain Management (SCM): Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Chain Management

Information management is considered as one of the keys to the supply chain management (SCM) success. This study intends to explore the factors affecting the knowledge sharing and knowledge quality in the SCM of the drugs and medical consumables. This applied study was conducted using analytical-survey research method. The research population consisted of 78 people involved in the supply chain of the drug and medical consumables in the teaching hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IUMS). Data were collected by a questionnaire whose face and content validity were both confirmed by pooling the ideas of some professors of Health Information Technology and Health-care Services Management faculties of IUMS. The reliability of the questionnaire was validated by estimating Cornbrash’s alpha coefficient (α=0.93). Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis method and SPSS software version.23. Based on the results, the environmental uncertainty and intra-organizational facilitators had no impact on information sharing and information quality but inter-organizational relationships influenced the information sharing (p = 0.01) and information quality (p = 0.001). To achieve high-quality information sharing, establishing appropriate relationships with the other chain partners is of critical importance. Based on the results of the study, although there was no statistically significant relationship between the intra-organizational facilitators and environmental uncertainty and the information sharing and information quality, top management support, information technology (IT), appropriate selection of supplier and attention to the drug needs of the patients, should not be neglected