c791 revised.docx - Running head ADVANCED INFORMATION...

Running head: ADVANCED INFORMATION MANAGEMENT 1
Course C791 Advanced Information Management
Ariia Seveen
Western Governors University

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Course C791 Advanced Information Management
Section A: Analyzing Health Information Systems
A1. Advantages and Disadvantages of a System
When examining the advantages and disadvantages of health information systems
regarding usability, interoperability, scalability, and compatibility, I considered these details as
follows. Usability is a term that defined as "the ease with which people can use a system to
achieve a particular goal" ( Mcgonigle & Mastrian, 2016). So, usability is especially important
when implementing a new health information system (HIS) since one of the goals is to simplify
charting for clinicians. When a HIS has optimal usability, users can optimize the system with
ease during the learning periods, encounter minimal errors, and reach important information
quickly. In contrast, when a system is complicated, or not usable, users will be more likely to use
"workarounds" or take short cuts to complete patient care. For example, a nurse having to take
several steps to scan a medication or reach the medication administration screen, so they give the
drug without scanning it to save time. Ultimately when a system is not usable, it puts the patient
at risk for harm.
Interoperability, when defined, is the ability of various technology systems and
organizations to work together to exchange information effectively (Mcgonigle & Mastrian,
2016). With this is in mind, healthcare and the care of patients is highly dependent on the
information obtained and analyzed. If a health information system is functioning effectively,
pertinent information is retrieved and accessible from various areas of the patient's background.
For example, lab work with critical results will be retrievable by a primary physician in an
outside clinic and an attending physician within the inpatient setting. This would be an advantage

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since the system would work to combine patient data into one large file, aiding the continuity of
care and decreasing the risk of care errors for patients. Furthermore, a significant disadvantage of
not having interoperability is the risk of duplication. For example, a provider not being able to
see a patients’ chart that shows previous blood draw or biopsy was performed, so the test
duplicated.
Interoperability and scalability align in a parallel way since scalability is “the ability for a
system to grow with as an organization grows” (Mcgonigle & Mastrian, 2016). An advantage of
a scalable system is that it is more competitive on the market since hospitals will know that their
data system can expand with the growth of the facility. However, if scalability is not attainable,
the system will need to be changed periodically, which is a disadvantage due to the cost of
implementation and training. Lastly, a system must have compatibility. If a HIS is compatible,