Niklas Hallberg

The medical software quality deployment method

UNLABELLED The objective of this study was to develop a Quality Function Deployment (QFD) model for design of information systems in health-care environments. Consecutive blocked-subject case studies were conducted, based on action research methods. RESULTS Starting with a QFD model for software development, a model for information system design, the Medical Software Quality Deployment (MSQD) model, was developed. The MSQD model was divided into the pre-study phase, in which the customer categories and their power to influence the design are determined; the data collection phase, in which the voice of customers (VoC) is identified by observations and interviews and quantified by Critical. Incident questionnaires; the need specification phase, where the VoC is specified into ranked customer needs; and the design phase where the customer needs are transformed stepwise to technical requirements and design attributes. QFD showed to be useful for integrating the values of different customer categories in software development for health-care settings. In the later design phases, other quality methods should be used for software implementation and testing.

Information system needs in health promotion: a case study of the Safe Community programme using requirements engineering methods.

The international Safe Community programme was used as the setting for a case study to explore the need for information system support in health promotion programmes. The 14 Safe Communities active in Sweden during 2002 were invited to participate and 13 accepted. A questionnaire on computer usage and a critical incident technique instrument were distributed. Sharing of management information, creating social capital for safety promotion, and injury data recording were found to be key areas that need to be further supported by computer-based information systems. Most respondents reported having access to a personal computer workstation with standard office software. Interest in using more advanced computer applications was low, and there was considerable need for technical user support. Areas where information systems can be used to make health promotion practice more efficient were identified, and patterns of computers usage were described.

How do Shop Stewards Perceive their Situation and Tasks? : Preconditions for Support of Union Work

When unions worldwide confront a decline in density and power, pressure increases on shop stewards. They occupy a position desribed s demanding, which involves striking a balance between conciliation and tough negotiation, between ordinary work and union work, and feelings of isolation from members. If shop stewards already experien a demanding work situation, and parallel to this the overall union conditions become aggravated, a next step would be to find out in what ways their situation can be facilitated. This article is based on data desribing recent experiences of Swedish shop stewards, and it compares their situation to that desribed in the international research literature. It is found that the basic components of union work remain stable, in spite of rent labour relations changes and national differences. However, lees than half of the reported problems were related to direct contact with the employer. Shop stewards generaly experience a situation characterized by inherent conflict and wide-ranging tasks, resulting in high demands on their skills and in role overload. On the other hand, the results indicate differences with regard to the ulnion affilation, age, experience and gender. En the eyes of union members the shop stew ards largely emb ody the ui on organizati on. Therefore, they should reeive increased attention when dealing with the problems of unions. Measures to facilitate their work can include training, supportive networks and access to adequate information technology, and can further be targeted with regard to age/experience and gender.

Peer-to-Peer Computing in Health-Promoting Voluntary Organizations: A System Design Analysis

A large part of the health promotion in todays society is performed as peer-to-peer empowerment in voluntary organisations such as sports clubs, charities, and trade unions. In order to prevent work-related illness and long-term sickness absence, the aim of this study is to explore computer network services for empowerment of employees by peer-to-peer communication. The ‘technique trade-off’ method was used for the analysis of the system design. A Critical Incident Technique questionnaire was distributed to a representative sample of trade union shop stewards (n = 386), and focus-group seminars were arranged where a preliminary set of requirements was discussed. Seven basic requirements were identified and matched to a set of 12 design issues for computer network services, allocating a subset of design issues to each requirement. The conclusion is that the systems design displays an inexpensive and potentially feasible method for peer-to-peer computing in voluntary health-promoting organisations.

Healthcare professional’s demand for knowledge in informatics

OBJECTIVE To develop an economic model of health care professional demand for knowledge capital in health informatics. DESIGN Case study with application of the contingent valuation method to develop a small-scale model. SETTING Specialized clinic at a university Hospital in Sweden. RESULTS The model displays the economic rationale behind an individual choice to spend leisure time for obtaining knowledge in health informatics. This decision reduces the total leisure time, but does not increase salary. Instead, it may increase the personal well-being by higher satisfaction gained from using information systems and by being recognized as a computer expert. CONCLUSIONS Individuals have preferences over all uses of time and for activities they can choose to engage in. Support of health care staffs investment in health informatics knowledge capital may benefit both the individuals and indirectly the health care organization.

Ontology for Systems Development

Software-intensive information systems have a major impact on our lives, both privately and professionally. Development of these systems is a complex activity that requires the involvement of people with different competences and skills. Even though software-intensive systems have been developed since the 1960s, the success rate is still low. A major hindrance to successful system development projects is the lack of consistent terminology. Since systems development is a collaborative activity, involving not only systems developers but also domain experts and user representatives, the understanding of each other is a prerequisite for an effective collaboration. The aim of this paper is to explore and present definitions, dependencies, and relationships of the most fundamental concepts in systems development in the form of an ontology. The ontology consists of four categories of concepts: General concepts, Description concepts, Realization concepts, and Appearance concepts. The two core concepts in the ontology are Systems and Systems development.

Adaptation of the critical incident technique to requirements engineering in public health.

The introduction of modern information systems in public health provides new possibilities for improvements in public health services and hence also of populations health. However, development of information systems that truly supports public health practices requires that technical, cognitive, and social issues be taken into consideration. In requirements engineering for public health, a notable problem is that of capturing all aspects of the future users voices, i.e., the viewpoints of different public health practitioners. Failing to capture these voices will result in inefficient or even useless systems. The aim of this paper is to report a requirements-engineering instrument to describe problems in the daily work of public health professionals. The issues of concern thus captured can be used as the basis for formulating the requirements of information systems for public health professionals.