Improving the Use of Information Systems for Hospital Management Using Balanced Scorecard Framework

Abstract

Hospital management teams receive voluminous data from variety of sources; these teams are unable to extract these data into the essential information for strategic decisions. It is as a result of this that this study is using a framework called the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), the development of an iterative prototyping system, user survey and focus group methods based on BSC to improve the use of information systems for Hospital management at Suntreso Government hospital. The study described in this paper has analyzed performance management tools like the Baldrige, the lean and balanced scorecard. The main focus is on the balanced scorecard management tool as a result of the numerous advantages it has over the others. The study used Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as part of a management control system for implementing strategies in Suntreso Government Hospital. A case study was conducted using the maternity and children's ward unit to measure innovations. Data was collected from DHMIS at the hospital before and after the end of the study, the information prototyping software developed, displays graphical relationships between key indicators like the length of stay, the average waiting time which shows progress in the PSUs. The results of the study is that SGH has adopted the concept, PSUs now formulate their plans using BSC, focus groups are satisfied with ease of access and the format of the information prototyping system. The study identified problems for the two patients units, then solutions were proposed to the management unit. That is using the balanced scorecard framework, a proposed information prototype system to check the average length of stay, the average waiting time, complication rate among others was provided.