Representation of People’s Decisions in Health Information Systems^[*]

Summary

Objectives: In this study, we aimed: 1) to conceptualize the theoretical challenges facing health information systems (HIS) to represent patients’ decisions about health and medical treatments in everyday life; 2) to suggest approaches for modeling these processes.

Methods: The conceptualization of the theoretical and methodological challenges was discussed in 2015 during a series of interdisciplinary meetings attended by health informatics staff, epidemiologists and health professionals working in quality management and primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, together with sociologists, anthropologists and e-health stakeholders.

Results: HIS are facing the need and challenge to represent social human processes based on constructive and complexity theories, which are the current frameworks of human sciences for understanding human learning and socio-cultural changes. Computer systems based on these theories can model processes of social construction of concrete and subjective entities and the interrelationships between them. These theories could be implemented, among other ways, through the mapping of health assets, analysis of social impact through community trials and modeling of complexity with system simulation tools.

Conclusions: This analysis suggested the need to complement the traditional linear causal explanations of disease onset (and treatments) that are the bases for models of analysis of HIS with constructive and complexity frameworks. Both may enlighten the complex interrelationships among patients, health services and the health system. The aim of this strategy is to clarify people’s decision making processes to improve the efficiency, quality and equity of the health services and the health system.

Keywords

Population health - learning health systems - health information systems - complex systems thinking - social theory

 

^* Written and extended version of a keynote lecture the first author gave at Medinfo 2015 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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