Plan and Design of a Small System for Healthcare Facilities - Research Paper Example

 Final Plan and Design a Small System Project Executive Summary The development of the elated amount of the healthcare facilities has been observed to be a prime need of the healthcare system. The healthcare in order to develop better Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has to create a proper infrastructure to maintain the quality care. The problems that were being faced by the healthcare organization “My Town” could easily be mitigated with the proper maintenance of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR). This system of information sharing is required to be developed through the implementation of the Waterfall Model under the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The development of the system infrastructure would enhance the healthcare’s mode of information sharing as well as help the healthcare to develop a better approach towards monitoring their patients. However, the proper functioning of the EMR system also requires major development in the technologies. The proper maintenance of the technologies would ensure that the system runs successfully. The research paper elaborates on the key technical failures as well as helps in developing a model that would ensure proper flow of information. Introduction The System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a process that helps in developing the information system, which ensures a structured and standardized process of management. The SDLC model helps in developing, planning, coding and testing that helps in enhancing the management within an organization. The SDLC model helps in developing, replacing and maintaining specific software. The lifecycle explains the procedure, which helps in increasing the quality of the software being used as well as incorporating an overall development (Cohen et al., 2010). In the present day there are a number of SDLC models that are available for the development of different information sharing models. The SDLC models have been highly effective in managing the Information Technology (IT) and the infrastructure of different organizations in the long run (Amlani, 2012). With the explosive growth in the data system it has become mandatory for the healthcare organization to develop a proper system that would assist them to maintain their IT process. Moreover, with the present day development the implementation of the elated level of quality care in the clinical system has been made mandatory for the healthcare to incorporate a better information system. The online system development even needs improvement and enhancement of proper security and protection. To develop an electronic care process within the health care system it also requires interoperability and development of a sound IT system. This would even help in developing an area of the care coordination within the health information technology. This system is vital and needs to be developed in order to minimize the chances of discrepancies in caregiving (Hargreaves, 2011). The requirement of the efficient care giving needs to be enhanced depending on the development of a SDLC model. This model would ensure that the healthcare system is capable enough to provide the elated level of quality care giving. Moreover, the research paper depicts the final plan to design a small system project. The paper even addresses the key technical issues that may affect the course of implementation. A detailed description has also been provided on the use of software and hardware that would facilitate the efficient implementation of the SDLC model into the system for increased effectiveness in the process. Discussion With the development of the care giving facilities the need to develop the information technology has become a growing requirement in the present day context. The SDLC model helps to develop a better understanding of the healthcare system and also enhance the standard of providing quality care. SDLC is referred to as a relevant source in order to develop a framework that would ensure the development of caregiving technology. To mitigate the risk of failure with the system, the SDLC model would assist in enhancing the system and provide better support. SDLC through the integration of the cognitive-social technical aspects helps in creating sustainable healthcare facilities. In this context, to conduct the present planning the ‘waterfall model’ will be suitable. The “My Town” health clinic has been experiencing severe challenges in managing their patients. Hence, the development of the online healthcare data system would enable the hospital to develop a better management with quality services. This would also help the hospital to create a system that would enable the hospital owners to deal with the emergency care with quality (Hargreaves, 2011). Waterfall Model The waterfall model is a sequential design process that helps in developing a systematic process to show the flow of operations in a “sequential development” process. The progress of the model is shown downwards through the different phases. By following the different conceptual design the waterfall model gives a detailed outline of the phases enabling steady decision making at all stages. The waterfall model is best suited for the small projects and helps in designing a proper sustainable model. The waterfall model also helps in assisting the user defined requirements to enhance and investigate the novel methods of working. The waterfall model even provides an object oriented development that helps to create a better intercommunicative system. Through the different phases the waterfall model helps in developing an accessible model. The waterfall model by the different phases helps in developing an executable specification and functionality of the quality traits of the structure (Bassil, 2012). The water fall model has been elaborated through the help of the pictorial disarm hereunder: Fig 1: Waterfall Model (Source: Basil, 2012) With the ease of implementation the model, is observed to be one of the best models that help in developing the software technologies of a small project design. The classic model follows a chorological steps to develop a planning design. The chronological steps include every ideology from the initial planning to the implementation of the design. Through the testing phases the model ensures that the implied design is adept for the business and enhances the acceptance of the planning design. Another advantage of the model could be identified to be the flow of the phases that eliminated the chances of overlapping. This even helps in maintaining the quality of the project and also helps in reducing the cost involved with the implementation of the project (Bassil, 2012). Implication of Waterfall Model The Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system helps in minimizing the errors in medical recording of the patients and develops a quality care to patients. To provide urgent healthcare the EMR helps in creating a better domain that would assist in developing a system of providing quality care to the patients. It has also been observed that “My Town” was suffering from improper management of their patients and in this context EMR software would help the healthcare to develop a better domain to enhance the quality services to their patients. The implementation of the EMR would help in developing a cost saving system that would enable the hospital to maintain their data system for caregiving with increased efficiency (Wang et al., 2012). Moreover, with the development of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the healthcare system maintenance of EMR has become mandatory for the health care organization. The traditional method of keeping record by the use of manual recording system has become obsolete as it caused several errors in the operational process. Moreover, the healthcare organizations also need to change their data base management system to meet with the elated needs of the healthcare system. The development of the EMR system could easily be developed through the use of the traditional SDLC by using the Waterfall Model. The same could be designed in order to develop a proper flow of information and enhance the clarity of the system. With the proper flow of information it would make it easy for the health care providers to develop a better approach towards care giving (Muhamad et al., 2012). “My Town” needs to design their ICT by the use of the waterfall model as it would help them to develop a better approach towards development of their database. The same could be developed by using the following system infrastructure as depicted below: Fig 2: System Infrastructure (Note: Prepared for the purpose of this study) Key Technical Issues of SDLC Since, the complete infrastructural system is majorly dependent on a series of routers and servers the top issue related to the implication of the system are related to the management of its infrastructure. The different influence of the technical issues related with the management of the information technology in development of the infrastructure is observed to be quiet crucial for the business entities. For healthcare organizations the failure of the information technology can prove to be even more crucial than the other business entities. As EMR provides a wide database for the patients it becomes mandatory for the healthcare providers to minimize the chances of technical issues if any. Observably, in the present era of globalization ICT has become the backbone of the healthcare organizations. The information technology helps in developing a better approach towards the diagnosis and develops a better medical facility as and when required. To develop an urgent care facility in “My Town” the healthcare organization must be able to maintain their technical issues adeptly to develop a sustainable domain (Anwar & Shamim, 2011; Brancheau et al., 1995). The key technical issues have been discussed hereunder: Hardware Issues The selection of hardware that is to be used to meet the requirement of the system infrastructure is observed to be one of the most important aspects of the EMR system. Moreover, the server that is to be selected depends on a series of goals. This involves the selection of software and hardware making the system quiet complex to operate on a day to day basis. The implementation of the EMR system requires the development of the central server hardware that would support the deployment of the operations and services. The proper hardware system helps to eliminate the chances of redundancy in the system. The chances that the system can fail depend upon the type of hardware that is being used. Each individual system of EMR requires developing a separate set of hardware system that would meet with the requirement. The potentiality of the server could only be achieved through the development of proper support provided by the hardware technologies (HIMSS, 2008). The following could be classified as the resource requirements to design the EMR infrastructure for “My Town”. Resource Requirement The resource requirement to design EMR software for about fifty users could be identified as follows: Central Processing Unit (CPU) requirement. To develop EMR software for 50 users it is suggestive to use a processor like the “HP ProLiant Server including Dual Intel Xeon E55xx Processor”. With MS windows standard server EMR system would be working well and delivering efficiency. Memory type and size. The memory would consist of both internal and external memory with a storage capacity of about 5600 GB of data. This permanent storage could also be supported by seven removable disks for better storage of data. Desktop or mobile. The system is best suited for the desktops as well as other portable devices. However, to maintain a continuous flow of the system the use of desktop infrastructure could be best suited. The maintenance and implementation of the hardware peripherals would ensure that the system infrastructure operates smoothly and efficiently. The success of the implementation of EMR could only be possible with the use of the developed hardware facilities. Other hardware requirements The other hardware requirements involved the support system like the input/output devices that would provide efficient support to the network system. The traditional devices need to be improved to provide better approach to the care giving process. Additionally, to develop an urgent care unit the access to the system must be made 24/7 for better service. This would help the patients to avail the services as and when required, as well as make the hospital will be able to develop quality service. The use of developed technological devices would make the system faster. It has been observed that the use of different traditional devices makes the system slow. The technical difficulties of the system make the system stagnant. Moreover, it even affects the quality of care giving. Thus, to eradicate the technical issues related with the approach to the system in relation to the accessibility could be reduced with the use of the modern input/output devices. Additionally, the shared hardware devices even provide a lot of support to the hardware system. The failure of the node to provide access to the shared devices could prove to be quiet crucial for running the system. The access to the different devices provides the hardware support to perform the tasks quiet well and with greater effectiveness. Furthermore, to develop a proper utility of the system the server needs to maintain proper connectivity between the shared devices that would enhance the performance of the system. The company needs to develop their hardware system efficiently to maintain their resource and build strong infrastructure. This would ensure maximization of their information sharing and develop the technical knowhow. The maintenance of the memory devices other than the inbuilt system can only be possible through the use of proper peripheral devices. The shared devices help in maintaining the database and also ensure efficient management of the data. Software Issues Software like the hardware system plays a crucial role in the development of an efficient system of EMR. The complete system of EMR is dependent on network sharing and hence maintenance of the software becomes mandatory. Correspondingly, to develop a system that would be able to incorporate an advanced technology and better performance the development of the software becomes mandatory. The Operating System (OS) needs to be developed as per the requirement of the system infrastructure. Parallel to continuous monitoring of the system the technologies also need to be developed in order to meet the changing requirements of the infrastructure. The failure of the OS can create huge blockage in the interoperability of the system. Moreover, the OS even helps in maintaining the standard and managing proper developed system of the operation. Without proper management of the OS, the security of the system cannot be ensured. However, OS needs to be upgraded and developed in order to enhance the complete infrastructure. The proper licensing of the software would also ensure that the transparency of the system could be maintained. Through proper certification and license implication the reliability of the system does not become vulnerable (The Physician Foundation, 2012). The implementation of UNIX and LINUX has been observed to be of great significance into the system. The development of the EMR requires great support from the system software. With the large number of vendor support, the LINUX OS has been providing advanced monitoring and clustering to the management of the optimized networking system. The management of the OS even helps in managing the hardware and software system efficiently. This enhances the efficacy of the system and helps in developing a better acceptance of the system in the long run. To maintain a sustainable development, the healthcare needs to maintain a well-developed OS so that technical difficulties could easily be nullified (Cambridge Health Alliance, 2002). Storage System Moreover, the development of the in-house cloud system is observed to be quiet costly. The development of the in-house cloud system enhances the data storage as well as the access to the data. It even ensures that the database is accessible with all the practitioners. However, the failure of proper networking system could lead to the failure of data. The in-house cloud system needs to be well managed with proper networking system to enhance the development of the information sharing. The uninterrupted link with the cloud would ensure that the flow of information is correctly being processed. Moreover, to develop an efficient system of urgent care the organization needs to maintain their in-house cloud technology efficiently. The maintenance of the router as well as the networks becomes very crucial and the failure of one such peripheral could lead to the failure of the complete system. Furthermore, maintenance of huge amount of data could only be possible through the information sharing with the use of in-house cloud, when it becomes mandatory (HIMSS, 2006). Management of the Virtual memory is also necessary to manage the multiple tasks performed by the system. The maintenance of the virtual memory even helps to keep the data well organized and easily accessible. However, maintenance of the same is observed to be quiet crucial for the system provider. The ‘just-in-time’ memory management needs to be developed in order to enhance the acceptability of the system infrastructure. This requires enormous development of the technologies to provide information as and when required. Most of the information sharing can be managed through the use of virtual memory as it helps in developing a better management of the information storage (Hitachi, 2013). Physical and Electronic Security The technical development is also required parallel to the development of the electronic security to ensure the continuous and uninterrupted facility that compels a better system of EMR. The cable connections and the wiring set-ups should be as per the requirement of the EMR development. Optical wiring development would help in attaining better support to the EMR system. The proper cable connectivity is also required to develop a better EMR system. The proper management of the optical cables and topologies would ensure that there is a proper flow in the networking system. This would also help the management to develop a better approach to the networking system and help them develop a strong system infrastructure. The physical and the electric security even ensure that the system runs smoothly and can create huge backlog due to the failure of the same (Watts, 2003). Conclusion The management of the infrastructure is observed to be one of the most important parts regarding the maintenance of the infrastructure. For a healthcare organization the development of ICT has become most crucial for the development of the infrastructural base. It has also been observed that to develop a healthcare infrastructure the organization has to maintain a proper database management system. Moreover, the management of the hardware and software as well as other physical devices is mandatory to ensure the proper functioning of the infrastructure. To develop a proper healthcare data system for the development of the urgent care unit the most important part for the healthcare organization is to maintain their information sharing technology. The maintenance and development of the information sharing processes, the healthcare organization can ensure quality care as and when required. On a larger note the development of the infrastructure system could only be possible through the proper maintenance of the hardware and the software technologies. The support system provided should be well developed to ensure that they can provide proper support to the infrastructural development in the long run. The efficient management of the hardware, software as well as the peripheral devices will definitely help the organization to develop their infrastructure better. This infrastructural development would help in developing a quality service in the long run making the system more efficient. The maintenance of the system would effectively ensure that the healthcare is able to cater to the needs of the patients. The maintenance of the EMR would ensure that the patients as well as the health practitioners have well access to the information when required. The enhanced EMR system maintains a well-developed system of information. The proper EMR system helps in efficient tracking of the patient’s information along with monitoring of the preventive care visit. The parameters that are present into the system helps to measure records of the patients ensure that the medical conditions are under check. This would ensure that the overall quality of the patient could be improved and the patient is provided with proper quality care. Hence, the proper maintenance of the EMR system would ensure that the organization will be able to maintain the elated level of care in the long run for long term sustainability. References Amlani, R. D. (2012). 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