Hospital Management Information System

1.1 Introduction

Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) is a comprehensive software solution designed to manage various aspects of a hospital's operations, including administrative, clinical, and financial functions. Integration of documentation and knowledge based computerized services in Hospital Management Information System is a tremendous means of helping health professionals in their daily practices and to improve the quality of service delivery. The system will store patient’s records, drug inventory and dispensation as well as other relevant clinical information within the Hospital. The system will be used by the staff within the Hospital. It will process data speedily and accurately provide information when and where required.

The hospital management information system will be used to store data, produce reports and handle management inquiries. In Hospitals that are made up of Doctors, Nurse, Patients and other personnel staff, an information system is required to keep track of the day-to-day transaction of the clinic and to improve the communication skills. Also this system will help, in highlighting risk/complex patients for consultant input alert of DNA; easily identify all patients taking certain medications, monitor frequency of major complication e.g. peptic ulcer, check for known drug interaction, and improve evidence based practice, record questions.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitation of the study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

The integration of information technology in healthcare settings has revolutionized the management and delivery of medical services. Hospital Management Information Systems (HMIS) represent a pivotal advancement in this domain, aiming to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of hospital operations. According to industry literature, HMIS encompass a comprehensive suite of software and hardware solutions designed to automate and streamline various administrative, clinical, and financial processes within healthcare organizations (Raghupathi & Kesh, 2007). Technical innovations have proved its importance in developing the convenience we know and have profound effect upon many areas of human life. The ability to handle and manipulate vast amount of data quickly, efficiently, reliable information, store querying and retrieval, prompt information access for research and library information had made computer very useful in varied applications. Cleary, its values are seen and applied in all fields of human endeavours. It is used in financial institutions, force and even hospitals. Hospitals are key institutions in providing relief against sickness and diseases and they require information to support medical quality assurance, cost containment, productivity improvement, and program planning and evaluation research in education.

Historically, healthcare institutions have faced challenges such as inefficient data management, fragmented communication between departments, and inconsistent patient care delivery. HMIS address these issues by providing centralized platforms for managing patient records, scheduling appointments, tracking inventory, processing billing, and monitoring healthcare outcomes. This integrated approach not only improves operational workflows but also enhances the quality of care through timely access to accurate patient information (Ajami & Arab-Chadegani, 2013).

The evolution of HMIS has been driven by advancements in information technology, regulatory demands for data accuracy and patient privacy, and the growing emphasis on evidence-based medicine and healthcare quality improvement initiatives (Bahadori et al., 2014). As healthcare organizations strive to achieve better clinical outcomes and operational efficiencies, the adoption and implementation of robust HMIS have become increasingly imperative.

Information system of a hospital organization is efficient if the information needed by the hospital organization is collected, processed and transfer within the hospital organization in the shortest possible time. The rate in terms of time for information needed by an institution to be collected, process and disseminated within the institution is proportional to efficiency and effectiveness of the institution or its information system (Badly R. 1997).

In Federal Medical Hospital Makurdi, the manual system for information collection, processing and dissemination within the Hospital has led to a low efficiency and effectiveness of the Hospital information system due to the fact that a lot of time is taken to collect, process and disseminate information within the Hospital. It is therefore, necessary to develop a computerized system for Myom Hospital which will collect process and disseminate information within the Hospital in a fast, efficient and effective hospital information system.

1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that the problems facing Federal Medical Center Hospital are:

1. There is no proper past patient record keeping which lead to time delay and difficulty in tracing patient’s records.
2. There are no proper financial records and bills which lead to backlog of bills and as such revenue loss.
3. There is no automatic pay roll system. It is clearly that the manual system is too monotonous and prone to errors. It is also a tedious task trying to access store and retrieve information from the manual system.
4. There are no proper medical store inventories taking because it is done manually so it’s prone to errors.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to design and implement a computerized hospital management information system. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to develop an application software that will:

1. Update the existing procedures regarding standards for programming, operations, system and data entry; thereby ensuring that each section conform to the newer methodology available;
2. Build and maintain patents database for analysis of data to facilitate decision making;
3. Improve on the accuracy of accounting and administration of hospital;
4. Reduce cost in running office administration; and
5. Store patient medical file record in a database that will enable care providers to be able to locate patient files in the health facility.

1.5 Significance of Study

The significance of Hospital Management Information Systems (HMIS) for various stakeholders in healthcare includes:

1. Healthcare Providers: HMIS streamline workflows, improve clinical decision-making with access to accurate patient data, and enhance patient care coordination across departments, leading to better treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction.
2. Administrators: HMIS optimize resource allocation, facilitate efficient scheduling of staff and facilities, and improve financial management through enhanced billing accuracy and revenue cycle management.
3. Patients: HMIS ensure the confidentiality and security of medical records, reduce wait times through streamlined processes, and improve the overall quality of care by enabling healthcare providers to deliver timely and informed treatments.
4. Regulatory Bodies: HMIS support compliance with healthcare regulations and standards, such as HIPAA in the United States, by ensuring data integrity, privacy protections, and adherence to reporting requirements.
5. Researchers and Educators: HMIS provide valuable data for healthcare research, epidemiological studies, and clinical trials, enabling evidence-based practices and advancing medical knowledge. Additionally, these systems support educational initiatives by providing access to case studies and real-world healthcare scenarios for training healthcare professionals.

1.6 Scope of Study

The scope of this research is focused on the Design and Implementation of Hospital Management Information System. The proposed system implementation will be limited to the activities of Federal Medical Center Hospital.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
3. The proposed system was not designed not to check-make staff of the Hospital to laxity of work, and the system’s Graphical User Interface was written only in English language.
4. The proposed system will only process information if relevant data are keyed in as input, and the authentication into system is with the use of password and user’s name.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Electronic Health Record (EHR):

Digital versions of patients' paper medical charts. EHRs contain comprehensive patient information, including medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory test results. EHRs are designed to be shared across healthcare settings, allowing information to be available instantly and securely to authorized users.

Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS):

Software designed to assist healthcare professionals in clinical decision-making tasks by providing evidence-based knowledge and patient-specific information at the point of care. CDSSs can include alerts, reminders, guidelines, protocols, and patient data summaries to enhance clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes.

Interoperability:

It is the ability of different information systems, devices, or applications to communicate, exchange data, and use the information that has been exchanged. In healthcare, interoperability ensures that EHRs, HMIS, and other systems can share data accurately and seamlessly across different healthcare settings and platforms.

Health Information Exchange (HIE):

It is the electronic sharing of health-related information among healthcare organizations within a region, community, or nationwide network. HIEs facilitate the secure exchange of patient information, promoting coordinated care, reducing duplication of services, and improving patient outcomes.