Introduction:

The main responsibilities of the department are to develop and implement hospital policy for information and associated computer technology. It undertakes extensive system development and research and has responsibilities for organisational and management change to support systems implementation and utilisation. It supports and maintains operational systems and trains hospital staff in the use of information technology. It participates in appropriate European Standards authorities and provides and develops training and education facilities through the Institute of Healthcare Informatics and University College Dublin.

The range of information systems implemented and utilised throughout the hospital extends far beyond that existing in most hospitals throughout the UK, Europe and in the United States of America. It is recognised throughout these countries as having made significant advances in informatics and the use of information technology to support its objectives. Its strategy and recognition of technology in health care delivery together with its implementation methodology and systems design philosophy is now the accepted role model for the implementation of information systems in the acute health care environment. Overall award winner of the Computer Professional of the Year, 1996.

Information Technology Policy and Programme
Objective Underlying Concept

There is a multi-disciplinary approach to the delivery of health care based on:

Interplay and co-ordination of service provision Utilisation of patient and related data across various hospital activities Inter-relationship of the full range of disciplines and functions

Management and staff at all levels must have access to an information system, which reflects this approach.

Policy and Objective

Based on this concept the hospital policy on information and associated technology is to develop, implement and utilise such systems and technologies to support its mission objective.

It identifies information as a fundamental resource and the ability to communicate it effectively as essential to achieve its objective and defines the most efficient and effective method of providing this resource is through the use of an integrated hospital information system.

This identification of information as a fundamental resource in the delivery of optimum healthcare has led to the definition and agreement of the Hospital Information Technology programme which is founded on an approach based on an integration of information systems centred on the patient reflecting the interrelationships of all involved in the delivery of acute healthcare.

The objective of the programme is summarised as:

"To provide an information systems environment in support of all staff in their use of information and associated computer technology consistent with their individual needs and in accordance with the objectives of the hospital's information technology programme"

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