Brian N. Hilton

Use of online systems in clinical medical assessments: an analysis of physician acceptance of online disability evaluation systems

In todays world of ever increasing amounts of information, hospitals and medical groups must continually find ways to manage the myriad information that is gathered on patients. This reality makes the field of medicine well suited to benefit from integrative and online information systems. However, research reveals that at times physicians resist the use of information technology (IT) in the clinical setting. This paper seeks to develop a conceptual model for physician acceptance and test this socio-work structure model using a nationwide survey of physicians (n=141) conducted by the authors. The domain focus of this study is physician acceptance of an online disability evaluation system for generating and managing medical examination reports. The survey measured whether behavioral intention to use the new system varied as a function of IT infrastructure, organizational processes relating to IT, physician experience with computer use in clinical settings, and both specific and general attitudes toward IT use in clinical settings. Survey findings suggest that each of these factors affects behavioral intention to use online disability evaluation systems, and that these factors are more important than generalized attitudes toward online systems or socio-demographic predictors. These findings suggest that work-system variables are important when considering physicians use of online systems. This extends traditional use of TAM to consider organizational factors when analyzing the acceptance decision.

SafeRoadMaps: communication of location and density of traffic fatalities through spatial visualization and heat map analysis

Road traffic injuries are the number one, non-disease-related, cause of death in the world; more than 1.2 million people die each year on the roads, and between 20 and 50 million sustain non-fatal injuries. In 2008, in the United States, there were 37 261 motor vehicle fatalities – the result of 34 017 motor vehicle crashes. Clearly, there is an urgent need for governmental agencies, and other key institutions, to increase and sustain action to prevent motor vehicle injuries. This article reports on the iterative development of SafeRoadMaps, a publicly accessible system for presenting accident frequencies and characteristics based on geographic location (www.saferoadmaps.org). The system was developed to visually communicate and allow analysis of public health issues related to rural and urban road transportation safety. One of the distinctive features of this online system is the use of ‘heat maps’ as a visual means for communicating the spatial density of traffic fatalities. The article begins with a review of the action research design approach utilized for the analysis, design and implementation of this system, continues with an overview of the system and its visualization methods to communicate safety information to travelers and other stakeholders, and concludes with a summary of findings from end-user feedback, including the systems potential to raise user awareness and affect driving behavior.

Process Improvement and Consumer-Oriented Design of an Inter-Organizational Information System for Emergency Medical Response

This research employs Information Systems Design Theory (ISDT) to design, develop, and assess an inter-organizational information system for Emergency Medical Services (EMS). This research takes both a goal-oriented process improvement and consumer-oriented approach to systems design. While IS development has a rich history of focusing on improving organizational processes, the consumer- oriented approach aims to incorporate socio- psychological considerations of users. System goals include 1) improve patient information exchange from emergency responders to emergency department practitioners, and 2) develop the system in a manner that users believe to be ethical and otherwise intrinsically motivating to use. Data collection, system requirements, and system design and kernel theories are presented, design propositions are evaluated, and implications discussed on the role of consumer-oriented approaches in the development of multi-organizational, multi-consumer information systems.

Implementing digital signatures for healthcare enterprises: the case of online disability evaluation reports

This paper presents a conceptual security framework and a case study of a digital signature solution implementation for a healthcare organisation that provides disability evaluation services for various government agencies and private companies. One service the company provides for its clients is online disability report generation and electronic report submission. When generating these disability reports, the signature of the examining physician is required for submission. The current process used by the company involves the manual collection of signatures. To streamline this process, and to meet legal and client requirements, the company investigated a digital signature solution. A security framework previously proposed was utilised to guide the implementation of the digital signature solution. This security framework consists of eight sequential stages. An in-depth analysis of the first seven stages for this case is provided, including guidelines for choosing digital signature solutions, vendor analyses and implementation issues.

A conceptual framework for quality healthcare accessibility: a scalable approach for big data technologies

Healthcare accessibility research has been of growing interest for scholars and practitioners. This manuscript classifies prior studies on the Floating Catchment Area methodologies, a prevalent class of methodologies that measure healthcare accessibility, and presents a framework that conceptualizes accessibility computation. We build the Floating Catchment Method General Framework as an IT artifact, following best practices in Design Science Research. We evaluate the utility of our framework by creating an instantiation, as an algorithm, and test it with large healthcare data sets from California. We showcase the practical application of the artifact and address the pressing issue of access to quality healthcare. This example also serves as a prototype for Big Data Analytics, as it presents opportunities to scale the analysis vertically and horizontally. In order for researchers to perform high impact studies and make the world a better place, an overarching framework utilizing Big Data Analytics should be seriously considered.

Microenvironment Analysis of a University Campus: GIS Design Considerations for Process Repeatability

Abstract Please click here to download the map associated with this article. A GIS-based microenvironment analysis of the campuses of the Claremont Colleges was conducted to assess the environmental impact of the campus footprint and to implement new ideas and approaches for advancing environmental sustainability. The project used concepts from information systems design science to provide a framework for assembling a GIS analysis engine to produce map images and data to explore economic, environmental, energy savings, and social outcomes of planting and preserving appropriate tree species. The framework assisted investigation of increasing the tree canopy coverage at various levels, as well as stakeholder preferences for tree types and aesthetic outcomes. In addition, the studys methods, outcomes, and limitations may be of interest to local and regional planning and sustainability administrators.

An Environmental Assessment of School Shade Tree Canopy and Implications for Sun Safety Policies: The Los Angeles Unified School District

In an effort to reforest school sites with limited resources, communities and non-profits have implemented projects on Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) school sites, often without thought for the best location, long-term maintenance, or appropriateness of the tree type. Although studies exist related to sun safety policies in schools, there has been little emphasis on the environmental public health benefits of trees in public schools. The LAUSD School Shade Tree Canopy Study was a response to this issue in which data was analyzed (a total of 33,729 trees in the LAUSD were mapped) regarding tree canopy coverage, pervious/impervious areas, and buildings for 509 elementary schools to assess urban forestry management issues and environmental injustices within communities of the district. The results of these analyses indicate that there is a wide range of school site size, tree canopy coverage as a percentage of school site size, tree canopy coverage as a percentage of play area, and percentage of unpaved surface play areas (e.g., (~20%) of the schools have both (0.0%) tree canopy coverage play areas and 100% paved surfaces). This finding alone has implications in how the LAUSD may implement sun safe polices which would aid in preventing skin cancer and other adverse health outcomes for students within the school district.

Improving disability evaluation productivity: linking innovative business models with information technology

This paper examines the relationship between the healthcare industry and disability evaluation, with a special focus on how information technology (IT) can assist in fostering the disability evaluation process. In the USA, various disability compensation programmes exist, and each uses a specialised terminology to define disability based on the compensation payers definition. However, ambiguity arises as a result of the use of these multiple definitions and interpretation of terms, which contributes to delays in the disability evaluation process. This paper develops two conceptual models for disability evaluation and explores the underlying business models and the role of IT in achieving productivity gains. Throughout this discussion the focus is on process inefficiencies in determining disabilities and the potential role of innovative business models and technology practices. Finally, future research opportunities and their implications are also enumerated.

Making Traffic Safety Personal: Visualization and Customization of National Traffic Fatalities

Communicating public health issues related to rural and urban road transportation safety is a challenging task. The approach to this task was to utilize an action-design research methodology to design and evaluate several innovative GIS-mashups that visually communicate traffic fatality information from the national to the local level. These web-based mashups (www.saferoadmaps.org) integrate a range of spatial data regarding motor vehicle crashes, transportation policy legislation, and driver behavioral data and present a visual representation of traffic safety across the United States. It was anticipated that these mashups, and related website, would help raise awareness and change fundamental perceptions regarding the magnitude, risk factors, and impacts of motor vehicle crashes and bring both increased safety and awareness to transportation policy makers and private citizens. Preliminary findings from around the world suggest that there is a strong interest in this type of information, particularly as users can customize it to local queries.

Evolving Supply Chains and Local Freight Flows: A Geographic Information System Analysis of Minnesota Cereal Grain Movement:

In Minnesota, technological and economic shifts in the grain supply chain have altered the way grain producers and sellers navigate their local freight network. In particular, many producers have been increasing their personal trucking capacity and taking longer trips to intermodal and domestic market options. This logistical reshaping of local grain supply chains pressure transportation officials to reconsider the consequences for road infrastructure and congested freight corridors. Studies are discussing the potential of disaggregated commodity flow survey (CFS) data as a critical tool in understanding small-scale freight movement and informing infrastructural investment decisions. Utilizing ArcGIS’s Network Analyst and Hot spot tools to analyze inter-county grain trucking, our study effectively differentiates highly active freight corridors. The model is used to further inform an ongoing infrastructure development project in the Twin Cities metro area by contextualizing road usage within the economic framework of the grain supply chain. However, this study finds CFS data alone fails to account for shifting supply chain conditions, and their consequent impact on the road network. Employing United States Department of Agriculture crop production and cropland data, this study additionally builds an original, computational model that simulates corn producer shipment reaction to market price competition within two key grain-producing counties. Results visualize how producers, during spot months, may be incentivized to haul longer distances to more competitive markets—especially emerging biofuel industries. This lesson proves crucial for state and local transportation officials who wish to identify freight infrastructure development opportunities that invigorate and accommodate growth in Minnesota’s expanding agricultural industry cluster.