Application of innovation strategies to the development of health information systems

The aim of this research is to identify and analyse the process requirements for Health Information Systems (HIS). It develops and evaluates a software innovation model for use in the development and deployment of HIS referred to as InnoDesignDeploy (IDD). A qualitative research approach is used. Information Systems are used in healthcare in various ways such as to make decisions on patient diagnosis, treatment, best practices, financial and administrative functions. Developing efficient and effective HIS is important for a number of reasons. Healthcare mistakes can have serious consequences that can affect patients’ lives and have a high financial cost. Technology is evolving quickly but is slow to be implemented in healthcare which is highly regulated. Technology needs to comply with relevant regulations. Regulations such as the IEC 62304 does not stipulate a specific process model for the software development process (for example, waterfall model, V-model or Agile practices) rather it states that one should be used (ANSI/AAMI/IEC 2006). In essence it states to use a model but it does not specify which one. There is no comprehensive methodology for developing and deploying HIS. IDD was developed through a series of research stages using sources in academia and industry. IDD focuses on essential processes, tasks and strategies used to develop and deploy HIS. This is an approach where innovation strategies and user involvement are key. The original contribution to knowledge is that IDD provides a structured approach which defines processes, strategies, roles, inputs and outputs of each step in a structured and systematic way.