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Standardization of health information systems in South Africa: The challenge of local sustainability

Standardization of health information systems in South Africa: The challenge of local sustainability The implementation and development of routine health information systems continue to provide a number of challenges for managers—the more so in developing countries where resources are scarce and human resource and technical skills limited. This article conceptualizes the interdependence between the local adaptation and appropriation of global standards, and the value that this adds to the global standard through improved quality of data. These processes reinforce one another in the creation of sustainable information systems. The article draws upon a case study of a rural hospital in South Africa. A successful change process is documented, wherein the organization, through innovative management and leadership, actively and successfully appropriated the national standard. The case study is used to highlight three main messages, namely, that standards should be able to be locally appropriated, that the creation of networks helps to support the local adaptation of standards, and that the layering of information systems is important to encourage the use of information and helps to improve data quality. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Information Technology for Development Taylor & Francis

Standardization of health information systems in South Africa: The challenge of local sustainability

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Standardization of health information systems in South Africa: The challenge of local sustainability

Abstract

The implementation and development of routine health information systems continue to provide a number of challenges for managers—the more so in developing countries where resources are scarce and human resource and technical skills limited. This article conceptualizes the interdependence between the local adaptation and appropriation of global standards, and the value that this adds to the global standard through improved quality of data. These processes reinforce one another in the...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN
1554-0170
eISSN
0268-1102
DOI
10.1002/itdj.20044
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The implementation and development of routine health information systems continue to provide a number of challenges for managers—the more so in developing countries where resources are scarce and human resource and technical skills limited. This article conceptualizes the interdependence between the local adaptation and appropriation of global standards, and the value that this adds to the global standard through improved quality of data. These processes reinforce one another in the creation of sustainable information systems. The article draws upon a case study of a rural hospital in South Africa. A successful change process is documented, wherein the organization, through innovative management and leadership, actively and successfully appropriated the national standard. The case study is used to highlight three main messages, namely, that standards should be able to be locally appropriated, that the creation of networks helps to support the local adaptation of standards, and that the layering of information systems is important to encourage the use of information and helps to improve data quality. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Journal

Information Technology for Development – Taylor & Francis

Published: Jul 1, 2006

Keywords: standardization; district health information system; sustainability

References

  • The struggle for district-based health information systems in South Africa
  • Networks of action: Sustainable health information systems across developing countries
  • Developing information infrastructure: The tension between standardization and flexibility
  • The challenges of sustainability of health information systems in developing countries: Comparative studies of Mozambique and Tanzania
  • A set of principles for conducting and evaluating interpretive field studies in information systems
  • Evaluating computerized health information systems: Hard lessons still to be learnt
  • Sustainable information technology for global sustainability
  • Sustainability of governmental use of microcomputer-based information technology in Kenya
  • Balancing the local and the global in infrastructural information systems
  • It's not the digital divide—it's the socio-techno divide
  • The management of health services in Tanzania: A plea for health sector reform
  • The development of an information system for district hospitals
  • Standardization in action: Achieving universalism and localization in medical protocols
  • Interpretive case studies in IS research: Nature and method
  • Information systems as social systems: Implications for developing countries