Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research

903 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Authorization Control in Collaborative Healthcare Systems

by Daisy Daiqin He and Jian Yang

J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2009, 4(2), 88-109; https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762009000200008 - 01 Aug 2009

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 508

Abstract

Modern healthcare systems require collaborations between individual social entities such as hospitals, medical centers, emergency services and community services. One of the most critical issues in this setting is security and privacy, i.e., who can access what and based on which condition(s). In [...] Read more.

Modern healthcare systems require collaborations between individual social entities such as hospitals, medical centers, emergency services and community services. One of the most critical issues in this setting is security and privacy, i.e., who can access what and based on which condition(s). In the healthcare system that crosses different administrative domains, each business unit has its own security policies defined and enforced. Therefore the challenge is how security policies shall be specified, compared and integrated if necessary depending on the nature of the inter-domain collaboration. In this paper, we discuss the challenging access control issues in cross-domain healthcare systems. A framework is provided to support authorization control in such an environment, which takes collaboration semantics into account, as well as individual participant’s authorization policies. Full article

266 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Method of Web Service Discovery based on Semantic Message Bipartite Matching for Remote Medical System

by Yang Zhang, Bing-Yue Liu and Hong Wang

J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2009, 4(2), 79-87; https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762009000200007 - 01 Aug 2009

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 328

Abstract

The number of Web services are growing at an explosive speed, which brings great challenges to the accurate, efficient and automatic retrieval of target services for users. This paper presents a service discovery method with semantic matchmaking which could be used in remote [...] Read more.

The number of Web services are growing at an explosive speed, which brings great challenges to the accurate, efficient and automatic retrieval of target services for users. This paper presents a service discovery method with semantic matchmaking which could be used in remote medical systems. Adding ontology related semantic annotations to service interfaces is considered, and a method of service discovery based on bipartite matching of semantic message similarity is proposed. The method is easy to implement because it is not limited to specific service model. It also contributes to the improvement of service discovery efficiency when service is retrieved in an automatic way. Full article

289 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Medical Data Reliability Assessment Model

by Bandar Alhaqbani, Audun Jøsang and Colin Fidge

J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2009, 4(2), 64-78; https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762009000200006 - 01 Aug 2009

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 365

Abstract

There is currently a strong focus worldwide on the potential of large-scale Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems to cut costs and improve patient outcomes through increased efficiency. This is accomplished by aggregating medical data from isolated Electronic Medical Record databases maintained by different [...] Read more.

There is currently a strong focus worldwide on the potential of large-scale Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems to cut costs and improve patient outcomes through increased efficiency. This is accomplished by aggregating medical data from isolated Electronic Medical Record databases maintained by different healthcare providers. Concerns about the privacy and reliability of Electronic Health Records are crucial to healthcare service consumers. Traditional security mechanisms are designed to satisfy confidentiality, integrity, and availability requirements, but they fail to provide a measurement tool for data reliability from a data entry perspective. In this paper, we introduce a Medical Data Reliability Assessment (MDRA) service model to assess the reliability of medical data by evaluating the trustworthiness of its sources, usually the healthcare provider which created the data and the medical practitioner who diagnosed the patient and authorised entry of this data into the patient’s medical record. The result is then expressed by manipulating health record metadata to alert medical practitioners relying on the information to possible reliability problems. Full article

170 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Measuring end-users’ opinions for establishing a usercentred Electronic Health Record (EHR) system from the perspective of nurses

by Yung-Yu Su, Khin Than Win, John Fulcher and Herng-Chia Chiu

J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2009, 4(2), 55-63; https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762009000200005 - 01 Aug 2009

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 482

Abstract

Establishing an acceptable user-centred electronic health record (EHR) system is a challenging task for healthcare providers due to the need for such systems to meet the requirements of its user population. Concerned nurses are the main end-users of EHR systems. Based on knowledge [...] Read more.

Establishing an acceptable user-centred electronic health record (EHR) system is a challenging task for healthcare providers due to the need for such systems to meet the requirements of its user population. Concerned nurses are the main end-users of EHR systems. Based on knowledge of evidence-based management (EBM) and the issues (goals and methods) of Health Information Systems (HIS) evaluation, this research was performed in four regional teaching hospitals by adopting a quantitative approach research design to perform “goal-based evaluation” research. The results of Path Analysis indicated that 17 of 21 hypotheses were accepted in this study. In addition, the results of One-way ANOVA with Scheff test comparisons indicated that Age is the most important variable in measuring System Quality, Service Quality, Safety Quality, User Use and User Satisfaction; Education is important in measuring Service Quality; and Seniority is important in measuring System Quality, Service Quality and User Use. Furthermore, the results of Linear regression indicated that only one hypothesis is affected by the demographic variable Education. In summary, this empirical investigation provided evidence-based knowledge to explain nurses’ opinions of EHR systems success, and to distinguish which demographic variables influence their viewpoints of using such systems in southern Taiwan. Full article

571 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A process model to support automated measurement and detection of out-of-bounds events in a hospital laboratory process

by Claire Costello and Owen Molloy

J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2009, 4(2), 31-54; https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762009000200004 - 01 Aug 2009

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 348

Abstract

Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) allows organizations to capture enterprise events from their source systems and utilize these to detect non-compliant business situations. Similar concepts may be leveraged in the healthcare domain to improve the quality of patient care and the efficiency of clinical [...] Read more.

Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) allows organizations to capture enterprise events from their source systems and utilize these to detect non-compliant business situations. Similar concepts may be leveraged in the healthcare domain to improve the quality of patient care and the efficiency of clinical processes. This paper introduces a generic set of constructs for formally specifying threshold values relevant for cycle time and utilization calculations. It also describes a mechanism to capture information, including thresholds, about important business parameters for Six Sigma measurement. This full set of constructs are the basis for automated measurement and monitoring and are incorporated into the process model during the definition or capture phase thereby linking the definition and monitoring phases through a common underlying process model. Bespoke software is also described which uses the constructs contributed by this research to manage and monitor process models and enterprise events. A process performance module provides automated measurement and monitoring capabilities. At an aggregate level, this is achieved through the provision of process cycle time data for selected time periods on demand and the examination of business processes at frequent intervals with alerts generated for exceptional scenarios. At a more granular level, this solution uses a rules-based approach to evaluate individual events and generate alerts for out-of-bounds business parameters. This paper demonstrates the benefits of these capabilities for health informatics through application to a Laboratory Testing process observed at a local hospital. The paper also suggests recommendations for the extension of current modelling languages with respect to the constructs detailed herein. Full article

194 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Visual Analytics to Improve Hospital Scheduling and Patient Flow

by Janna Anneke Fitzgerald and Ann Dadich

J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2009, 4(2), 20-30; https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762009000200003 - 01 Aug 2009

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 629

Abstract

The increasing demand for hospital emergency services has important implications for the allocation of limited public resources and the management of healthcare services. Although reform is an oft-cited way to improve the healthcare system, it has a limited ability to readily address this [...] Read more.

The increasing demand for hospital emergency services has important implications for the allocation of limited public resources and the management of healthcare services. Although reform is an oft-cited way to improve the healthcare system, it has a limited ability to readily address this increasing demand. This paper presents an innovative approach to identify and translate feasible solutions to improve the efficiency of hospitals. Premised on visual analytics, the paper describes the way a software program was used to represent sonography department processes within a virtual environment. The processes were represented by collecting and assembling information about room capacity, room use, patient-scheduling practices, staff capacity, and equipment availability. The resulting model helped to identify areas for improvement and simulate viable options to improve these areas. This was associated with two clear benefits – it allowed solutions to be considered without making changes to the physical environment, and it provided a way to clearly demonstrate to staff the relationship between process change and improved efficiency. The paper concludes with directions for future research. Full article

284 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Evaluation Framework for Business Process Modeling Languages in Healthcare

by Amir Afrasiabi Rad, Morad Benyoucef and Craig E. Kuziemsky

J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2009, 4(2), 1-19; https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762009000200002 - 01 Aug 2009

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 443

Abstract

Web services composition is an emerging paradigm for enabling inter and intra organizational integration, and a landscape of languages and techniques for modeling business processes in web service based environments has emerged and is continuously being enriched. With the advent of modeling standards, [...] Read more.

Web services composition is an emerging paradigm for enabling inter and intra organizational integration, and a landscape of languages and techniques for modeling business processes in web service based environments has emerged and is continuously being enriched. With the advent of modeling standards, different business sectors are investigating the options for modeling their workflows. In terms of business process modeling, healthcare is a rather complex sector of activity. Indeed, modeling healthcare processes presents special requirements dictated by the complicated and dynamic nature of these processes as well as by the specificity and diversity of the actors involved in these processes. Little effort has been dedicated to evaluating the capabilities and limitations of modeling languages based on healthcare requirements. This paper presents a set of healthcare modeling requirements and proposes an evaluation framework for process modeling languages based on these requirements. The suitability of two major process based service composition languages, namely BPEL and WS-CDL, is evaluated. Full article

19 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Guest Editors’ Introduction

by Carolyn McGregor and Anthony Maeder

J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2009, 4(2), I-II; https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762009000200001 - 01 Aug 2009

Viewed by 431

Abstract

Healthcare is often perceived to lag behind other industry sectors in its uptake and adoption of new technology[...] Full article

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J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res., Volume 4, Issue 2 (August 2009) – 8 articles

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