OBJECTIVETo develop a conceptual framework for decision-making data elements (indicator) in public health through determining its dimensions, sub-dimensions and their interrelationships.

METHODSOn the basis of literatures review, conceptual analysis and health determinant models, a conceptual framework was set up. This framework construction followed five principles: evidence-based, applicable, public health relevant, systemic and extensible. While, with the principles of conceptualization, objective-orientation, independence, and number-restriction, the domain and subdomains were also developed.

RESULTSA conceptual framework consisting of five domains and 20 sub-domains was developed. The 5 domains were health status, non-medical health determinants, public health system performance, the resources of public health system, and characteristics of community and assurance system. The health outcome included three subdomains of health status, functional status, and death; Non-medicine health determinants domain consisted of health behavior, working and living conditions, personal resources and environmental factors; performance domain was made up of effectiveness, accessibility, efficiency, responsibility and safety; resources domain had institution resources, human resources, financial resources, equipment resources and information resources; The characteristics of community and assurance system domain was the last domain which comprises characteristics of community, public health related policy and assurance system. The complicated relationship between these domains was also described.

CONCLUSIONAs the abstraction of public health system, this conceptual framework comprehensively depicts the components of public health system and complicated process of public health system. This framework conforms to the medical care quality model which is made up of structure, process, intermediate results and outcomes.

Decision Support Systems, Management ; Public Health Informatics ; statistics & numerical data ; Quality Assurance, Health Care

OBJECTIVES: To examine the current status of hospital information systems (HIS), analyze the effects of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) have upon hospital performance, and examine how management issues change over time according to various growth stages. METHODS: Data taken from the 2010 survey on the HIS status and management issues for 44 tertiary hospitals and 2009 survey on hospital performance appraisal were used. A chi-square test was used to analyze the association between the EMR and CDSS characteristics. A t-test was used to analyze the effects of EMR and CDSS on hospital performance. RESULTS: Hospital size and top management support were significantly associated with the adoption of EMR. Unlike the EMR results, however, only the standardization characteristic was significantly associated with CDSS adoption. Both EMR and CDSS were associated with the improvement of hospital performance. The EMR adoption rates and outsourcing consistently increased as the growth stage increased. The CDSS, Knowledge Management System, standardization, and user training adoption rates for Stage 3 hospitals were higher than those found for Stage 2 hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Both EMR and CDSS influenced the improvement of hospital performance. As hospitals advanced to Stage 3, i.e. have more experience with information systems, they adopted EMRs and realized the importance of each management issue.
Adoption ; Decision Support Systems, Clinical ; Electronic Health Records ; Electronics ; Electrons ; Health Facility Size ; Hospital Information Systems ; Information Management ; Information Systems ; Knowledge Management ; Korea ; Outsourced Services ; Tertiary Care Centers