Overview of systems development cycle
The systems development life cycle or the SDLC is a way to deliver efficient and effective information systems that are in line with the strategic plan of the organization. In health care systems, this includes the assessment of the entire organization and inclusion of all its functions. The SDLC has to be modeled around the wider health care delivery system. The steps involved in the development of a system are as follows.
- Understand the problem or the business needs of the organization
- Understanding the solution to those needs or how to solve them
- Developing a plan towards the solution of those needs
- Implementation of the plan
- Evaluation of the plan to find weaknesses and areas that ought be Improved
- Maintenance, review and destruction/overhaul
There are several system development life cycles (SDLC) applied in health facilities either on their own or at times as hybrids of each other. The systems in application include.
- The waterfall system – this system requires that the process flows and that the output of the previous phase becomes the input for the new phase.
- Object oriented systems development OOSD – this combines the power of object modeling with programming.
- Dynamic system development method – a highly iterative and incremental approach with a high level of user input. This process requires examination that improves detail and accuracy through three phases as follows.
- Pre project
- Project lifecycle
- Post project
Every organization considering the purchase of a new HIT system has to consider various points before deciding on the HIT system to employ. The needs of the organization have to be identified and the appropriate HIT system to address these requirements identified. The HIT system intended for purchase has to be having the capability to solve the intended health requirements of the organization. The HIT system has then to be implemented to realize the intended benefits of the system. The system has then to be evaluated in order to find weaknesses and areas that ought to be improved. The system has to have the capability to be reviewed and friendly in case of an over haul. It has to have features that support transitory periods. After evaluation and satisfaction on all these points, the organization then buys and installs the HIT system.
Input of nurses in the development of HIT
Nurses are the key personnel who interact with HITs in a one on one basis within health organizations. In this capacity, nurses are the individuals within the organization who are in a position to understand the qualities of a good HIT. In this regard, in the development of a quality HIT nurse’s input is critical in ensuring it meets the demands of the organization. In the implementation of the HIT, nurses are the personnel in the ground who are involved in the operations of the organization. The nurses first detect any deficiency in the system in input, archiving or retrieval of information in the system. Lack of involvement of nurses in the process therefore leads to poor development of the HIT systems in health facilities.
Challenges arising from the implementation of new technology in SDLC
New technology can be challenging to implement in an organization. In my organization for instance, the change over from previous models to the modern SDLC was occasioned by difficulties owing to the inflexibility of the previous system. The preservation of data from our older machines into new servers proved to be the singular biggest challenge owing to incompatibility between the two systems. The new machines also required training of staff to operate them. This led to some delays in data entry and risk of losing important information during this period remained high.
Analysis of ramifications of an organization not involving nurses in each stage of the system development cycle when implementing a HIT system
The consequences of an organization not involving nurses in the development lifecycle of purchase and implementation of HIT system are wide and varied. The introduction of a new system without the knowledge of the nurses expected to work with it may stir rebellion among the nurses against the system due to a feeling of it being imposed up[on them without their consent. The system may also prove difficult to work with since it lacks the input of the workers expected to work with it. It may then contain features that user-unfriendly which would have been addressed had the nurses been involved in its development.
References
Glaser, J., Henley, D. E., Downing, G., & Brinner, K. M. (2008). White Paper: Advancing Personalized Health Care through Health Information Technology: An Update from the American Health Information Community's Personalized Health Care Workgroup. Journal of The American Medical Informatics Association, 12(08), 34-45.
Davis, N. A., LaCour, M., & Davis, N. A. (2007). Health information technology. Philadelphia: Saunders.
