Ebrahim Randeree

Knowledge management: securing the future

Purpose – Increased focus on knowledge within firms has not addressed the security implication. This paper aims to examine the implications of knowledge management for security.Design/methodology/approach – This approach highlights the competitive advantage of knowledge with an emphasis on security. This paper reviews security for data and information and explores the dimensions of secure knowledge systems. The emphasis is on knowledge security and the development of future knowledge management systems.Findings – This paper finds that there exists a general lack of focus on security in the knowledge management framework – both in a research setting and in practical applications. Knowledge is different from information and data and needs special consideration in firms.Research implications/limitations – Designers of knowledge management systems can implement levels of security for different types of knowledge that reside within the organization. The concept of “secure knowledge management” has provided nas...

Exploring technology impacts of Healthcare 2.0 initiatives.

As Internet access proliferates and technology becomes more accessible, the number of people online has been increasing. Web 2.0 and the social computing phenomena (such as Facebook, Friendster, Flickr, YouTube, Blogger, and MySpace) are creating a new reality on the Web: Users are changing from consumers of Web-available information and resources to generators of information and content. Moving beyond telehealth and Web sites, the push toward Personal Health Records has emerged as a new option for patients to take control of their medical data and to become active participants in the push toward widespread digitized healthcare. There is minimal research on the impact of Web 2.0 in healthcare. This paper reviews the changing patient-physician relationship in the Healthcare 2.0 environment, explores the technological challenges, and highlights areas for research.

Exploring Physician Adoption of EMRs: A Multi-Case Analysis

The adoption of new technology within healthcare has been promoted as a way to reduce costs and increase efficiencies as well as improve quality. The literature has documented a significant number of implementation failures by large groups and hospitals with access to IT skills and resources. Given the low adoption rate among physicians, the challenges facing small practices can be daunting. While financial and technical barriers have been explored at the physician level, the actual implementation challenges facing small groups have not been explored. This paper presents a qualitative three case analysis of physician groups that have employed EMRs and the pre and post adoption insights. Results show that planning was a key common variable missing; the anticipated downtime was longer than expected and the workflow disruption and maintenance costs were underestimated.

Structural barriers: redesigning schools to create learning organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on schools and address the structural dimensions of the organization as well as the hierarchical design of information flows between stakeholders. The paper highlights current structural barriers to creating learning organizations.Design/methodology/approach – This paper utilizes a conceptual model.Findings – The analysis shows that the previous process and perception changes as they relate to learning are moderated by structure, and that success in building the learning organization is limited without redesign of the learning environment.Practical implications – While restructuring is not the solution by itself (although some administrators like to think so), the restructuring of the school is a moderator of all the changes occurring in the path to creating a learning organization.Originality/value – The paper provides a look at the barriers within schools and provides a practical agenda for action that enables the creation of learning organizations.

Exploring the Moderating Effect of Trust and Privacy in the Adoption of Application Service Providers in the Healthcare Industry

Understanding the antecedents to the adoption of information technology is important to both technology firms and policy analysts that study the effects of technology adoption on healthcare. This paper uses a transactional cost approach to investigate the role of trust and privacy as moderators in the adoption of Application Service Providers (ASPs) as a new form of information technology outsourcing in the healthcare industry within the current regulatory climate created by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). The analysis utilized a seven-stage measure to capture adoption. Our analysis showed that Transactions costs and the antecedents of transaction costs were highly significant in the ASP adoption process. The direct and moderated effects of Trust and Privacy were not significant.

Searching for Answers in a Google World

Searching for answers within the online information environment is increasingly dominated by Web-based tools such as Google and Amazon. In rethinking reference education for the Google generation, this article proposes meeting students on their own territory by approaching them through popular search tools they are already familiar with as a platform for introducing the key concepts and resource functionalities of more advanced information searching. The article also considers innovative uses of Google and Amazon in reference services and reference education.

Hospital financial performance: does IT governance make a difference?

This study examined whether information technology (IT) governance, a term describing the decision authority and reporting structures of the chief information officer (CIO), is related to the financial performance of hospitals. The study was conducted using a combination of primary survey data regarding health care IT adoption and reporting structures of Florida acute care hospitals, with secondary data on hospital financial performance. Multiple regression models were used to evaluate the relationship of the 3 most commonly identified reporting structures. Outcome variables included measures of operating revenue and operating expense. All models controlled for overall IT adoption, ownership, membership in a hospital system, case mix, and hospital bed size. The results suggest that IT governance matters when it comes to hospital financial performance. Reporting to the chief financial officer brings positive outcomes; reporting to the chief executive officer has a mixed financial result; and reporting to the chief operating officer was not associated with discernible financial impact.

Personal health records: addressing consumer needs for access

In this paper, we present a discussion of personal health records (PHRs). The development of PHRs in the USA has occurred as a result of the Institute of Medicines direction to improve healthcare quality and make it more patient-centred, as well as demands from patients for more control of their health data. The PHR addresses timeliness, patient safety and equity. The PHR is also integral to the US National Health Information Network (NHIN) being designed to give all Americans access to electronic health records by 2014. Despite increasing access to PHRs via employers, insurance companies, healthcare providers and independent entities, adoption and successful implementation of the PHR as well as other types of electronic records (Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR)) is unclear. The specific interaction and distinction between these records is also unclear. This article differentiates the PHR from the other records, introduces the notion of ownership of medical information and presents a basic research model regarding PHR adoption and diffusion.

Planning for Hospital IT Implementation: A New Look at the Business Case

Compared to organizations in other industries, hospitals are slow to adopt information technology (IT). Those planning for system implementation must understand the barriers to IT adoption which, in healthcare, include the relatively high acquisition and maintenance costs of sophisticated administrative and clinical information systems. Understanding the overall business case is particularly important for hospital IT planners. This paper describes the literature that examines benefits from using health IT. In addition, we focus on a series of studies conducted in Florida that provide generalizable evidence regarding the overall business case associated with hospital adoption for information systems. These studies focus broadly on the improved financial, operational, and clinical performance associated with IT.

Web 2.0: A new dynamic in information services for libraries

The Internet is transforming users from information consumers into interactive information generators. The growth of Web 2.0 and social computing has been phenomenal. The web has extended beyond a search tool to become a mechanism for participatory content creation and dissemination. We investigate the extent of awareness of the phenomenon among undergraduate and graduate students, the usage of Web 2.0 and social computing sites, and the role of librarians under this new paradigm.