A Pilot Model for a Proof of Concept Healthcare Facility Information Management Prototype

Abstract

Within the healthcare industry it is important that facility information is efficiently and effectively managed to aid in the successful operation and maintenance of the facility and provide a safe and well-maintained environment of care for patients and staff. In order to do this, a healthcare facility information management prototype was proposed. The goal of the prototype is to allow facility managers to more efficiently and effectively respond to facility related events within the healthcare environment. The prototype was designed by using case analysis methods to identify information needs and draw connections between clinical information and facility management operations. This information was organized into a product model which is used as an ontology to capture, store, and retrieve the information. A conceptual model is developed to demonstrate the potential use of the developed product model in aiding facility managers' responses to facility related events. The conceptual model uses developed Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) that are mapped to the product model to demonstrate the information interactions. Information from one of the analyzed case studies is used as an example to describe the conceptual model development. A walk-through of the model is included to demonstrate how the different GUIs would be used to respond to the example event. This paper discusses the system architecture, the goals of the conceptual model and prototype, and the conceptual model development and validation. Future research strategies for the proposed healthcare facility information management framework are also addressed.