Journal of Health Management and Informatics
Volume:2 Issue: 3, Jul 2015

Various types of software are used in health care organizations to manage information and care processes. The quality of software has been an important concern for both health authorities and designers of Health Information Technology. Thus, assessing the effect of software quality on the performance quality of healthcare institutions is essential. The most important health care quality indicators in relation to software quality characteristics are provided via an already performed literature review. ISO 9126 standard model is used for definition and integration of various characteristics of software quality. The effects of software quality characteristics and sub-characteristics on the healthcare indicators are evaluated through expert opinion analyses. A questionnaire comprising of 126 questions of 10-point Likert scale was used to gather opinions of experts in the field of Medical/Health Informatics. The data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. Our findings showed that software Maintainability was rated as the most effective factor on user satisfaction (R2=0.89) and Functionality as the most important and independent variable affecting patient care quality (R2=0.98). Efficiency was considered as the most effective factor on workflow (R2=0.97), and Maintainability as the most important factor that affects healthcare communication (R2=0.95). Usability and Efficiency were rated as the most effectual factor affecting patient satisfaction (R2=0.80, 0.81). Reliability, Maintainability, and Efficiency were considered as the main factors affecting care costs (R2=0.87, 0.74, 0.87). We presented a new model based on ISO standards. The model demonstrates and weighs the relations between software quality characteristics and healthcare quality indicators. The clear relationships between variables and the type of the metrics and measurement methods used in the model make it a reliable method to assess the effect of software quality on healthcare organizations’ quality performance.

The quality of education sector is worth considering as this system has a significant effect on the economic growth of the country. This study aimed to determine the quality gap and rank the student’s expectation of educational services provided in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2013. This research included two cross-sectional phases. The sample size of both phases included 220 students selected using multistage sampling. Servqual questionnaire was used in the first study which was designed to find the quality gap of the education system’s services. The data were entered into the SPSS statistical software and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Paired-Sample T-Test. Kano’s two-dimensional questionnaire was used in the second phase. Each indicator of quality which had a negative gap at a significance level of 5% in the first study was introduced to Kano’s two-dimensional questionnaire. Finally, better value and worse value formulas were used to analyze the data obtained in this step. The results revealed that all quality items had a significance negative gap which were recognized as the voice of customers (P<0.05). Frequency analysis was done to determine the frequency of repetition. Accordingly, 11 out of the 30 requirements were identified as must be requirements and 19 as one-dimensional requirements. This study can help the authorities prioritize their policies, strategies and decisions in order to improve and guarantee the higher education quality and extremity obtains customer satisfaction.

In Iran health insurance is a significant tool in healthcare costs, financing health care and equal access to health services for people. Problems between hospitals and insurance organizations impose extra cost to the patient, leading to financial losses they will infringe upon the rights of patients. This study aimed to determine the issues between hospitals and basic insurance organizations and proposed practical solutions to solve problems in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.This research was a qualitative study (content analysis), which was conducted in 2013. The research population consisted of teaching hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences; Purposeful sampling was used and continued until data saturation. The representative of the insurers and staff of income hospitals were asked questions using a semi-structured interview. In this study, we used NVIVO for data analysis. The results of this study showed that the most common problems between basic insurance organizations and teaching hospitals include the lack of prompt payment of hospital bills and imposing deduction on the hospitals. Based on the results of this study, it seems that cooperation between hospitals and insurance organizations could be improved by timely payment of hospital bills and codifying appropriate rules and regulations by basic insurance organizations and, on the other hand, with timely completion of bills and training of hospital staff by the hospital authorities.

Today, shift work is considered as a necessity in many jobs and for some 24-hour services the use of shift-work is growing. However, shift work can lead to physiological and psycho-social problems for shift workers. This study aimed to determine the effects of shift work on the associated health problems, together with the demographic and job characteristics underlying the problems, among the medical and diagnostic staff of the general teaching hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2012.This study was an applied, cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical one. The study employed a sample of 205 employees from the medical and diagnostic staff using stratified sampling proportional to the size and simple random sampling methods. Data were collected using the Survey of Shift workers (SOS) questionnaire, validity and reliability of which have already been confirmed. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 software through ANOVA, Chi-square, Independent-Samples T-Test, as well as Pearson Correlation Coefficient. A P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The results showed that among the demographic and job characteristics studied, the individual, family and social problems had significant associations with work schedules, shift work and job satisfaction. In addition, there were significant associations between musculoskeletal disorders and the satisfaction of shift work; cardiovascular disorders and marital status and occupation; digestive disorders and the work schedules; sleep disorders and the satisfaction of shift work; musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular disorders and sleep disorders and age, job experience and shift work experience. And finally, there were significant associations among sleep disorders and age, job experience and the shift work experience. Based on the findings of this study, demographic characteristics such as age, marital status, as well as job characteristics can increase the individual, family and social problems, and cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, digestive and sleep disorders. Therefore, in order to reduce these problems and disorders, the following suggestions are made: allowing voluntary shifts for the staff, shortening the hours of night work, limiting the employment of older people in the shift work systems, etc.

Electronic Health Record contains all the information related to the health of citizens, from before birth to death have been consistently over time is electronically stored and will be available without regard to location or time all or part of it to authorized persons. The acceptance of EHR by citizens is important in successful implementation of it. The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes and behaviors related to the introduction of electronic health records among Shiraz university student.The present study is a cross-sectional descriptive survey. The study population consisted of all Shiraz University students. The data gathering tool was a questionnaire and data were analyzed in SPSS v.16 software, using descriptive statistical tests. Also, the samples, i.e. 384 students, were selected through convenient sampling. The results showed that most of the students kept their medical records at home to show them to a specialist and only 15% of them were familiar with the Electronic Health Records term. The use of Electronic Health Records for Maintenance of drug prescriptions was of the most importance. Among the students who are educated class and the source of change, the university students’ familiarity with Electronic Health Records is too low and most of them were not even familiar with its name and it is very important to implement this system familiarize the users on how to use it sufficiently.

The quality of work life has an important role in increasing labor productivity and consequently the efficiency and effectiveness of large organizations. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between empowerment (as the independent variables) and the quality of work life of employees (as the dependent variable).This study was conducted in a descriptive correlated manner; the population consisted of the Zahedan city hospital’s nursing staff (n=132) selected using accessible sampling methods. They filled out the empowerment and quality of work life questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaires was confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha; furthermore, the questionnaires were prepared with a high content validity and construct validity. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software and Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression test. The results showed that empowerment and its factors (sense of independence, sense of effectiveness, feeling of being meaningful and trusted among colleagues) at 99% confidence level and feeling of competence at 95% confidence level had a significant positive correlation with the quality of their working life. Second, empowerment factors predicted 29% of the variance in employees’ quality of work life. Considering the obtained results, it is recommended that to empower their employees more than ever, the managers try more to promote them, have more skillful staff, and help employees experience working life quality.