Office of Immunizations Case Study» Essay Paper

Question 1

What are the advantages and disadvantages of switching to the new system of data collection for each of the groups involved?

The new system of data collection will be automated thus facilitating the various stakeholders in the provision of immunization to realize some express benefits. One of the advantages of the automation of data collection in the state office of immunization is that it will facilitate the reduction in backlog (Lighter & Fair, 2004). There is usually a recurrent backlog of three months in the state office of immunization. This situation is mainly attributable to the fact that the county registrars submit their data to the state office of immunization on a monthly basis. The county registrars submit their data in the form of printed forms. The clerks at the state office of immunization are then required to extract the data from the forms and enter them manually into the state registry. It is imperative to take note of the fact that this process is normally very time consuming. The automation of the data collection in the counties as well as the state office of immunizations will play a critical role of reducing the amount of backlog. With the reduction in the amount of backlog at the state office of immunizations, the state registry will always remain updated.Office of Immunizations Case Study» Essay Paper

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Another advantage of automating the data collection system is that it will improve the health status of the counties. This is because in order for a child from a different county to be immunized his or her guardians are required to fill forms and submit them to the county registrar. Upon the submission to the county registrar the child has to wait for two weeks before he or she can receive a letter of verification. When the county registrar automates data collection at the county level the process of verification will be significantly reduced (Stair & Reynolds, Fundamentals of Information Systems , 2012). As a result of this more parents and guardians will feel encouraged to apply for the immunization of their children. This will consequently lead to an increase in the number of children that receive immunization. An increase in the number of children that receive immunization will lead to a reduction in the number of children that are attacked by disease causing pathogens. The increase in the number of children receiving immunization will also lead to a decrease in infant mortality.

The automation of data collection at the county level and at the state office of immunization will facilitate the reduction in the cost of immunization. This is mainly due to the fact that automation of the data collection will lead to a decrease in the cost of data collection. The decline in the cost of data collection will consequently lead to a decrease in the overall cost of immunization. As a result of the decrease in the cost of data collection most of the healthcare providers and nurses will reduce the price of immunization (Stair & Reynolds, Principles of Information Systems , 2011). The reduction in the price of immunization will lead to an increase in the number of children that will be immunized.Office of Immunizations Case Study» Essay Paper

One of the disadvantages of the automation of data collection is that it might lead to the loss of several clerical jobs. With the automation of data collection several clerks will lose their jobs and this is because of the fact that work that was done by for instance five clerks will require fewer clerks to execute the task (Stair & Reynolds, Fundamentals of Information Systems , 2012). It is also important to take note of the fact the clerks that are not computer literate are the ones that are most likely to lose their jobs.

Another disadvantage of automation of data collection is that the system cannot be completely free from error. This is basically because most of the data entry will be done by clerks who are human beings (Stair & Reynolds, Principles of Information Systems , 2011). This means that they are capable of committing errors during data entry although the likelihood of such an occurrence can be reduced by the provision of a suitable working environment.

Question 2

What kind of training will be necessary for healthcare providers, school nurses and counties?

The introduction of the automated system of data collection will necessitate the retraining of all the personnel that work within the healthcare system. This implies that the healthcare providers, school nurses, county registrars and the personnel at the state office of immunization will be required be retrained. Healthcare providers need to be trained on how to capture the data in the automated system of data collection (Lighter & Fair, 2004). This means that some of the members of staff of the healthcare providers need to be trained on data entry. These members of staff that will be trained on data entry will charged with the responsibility of entering data into the automated system.

The school nurses will also need to be equipped with a variety of skills that will facilitate them to be able to use the new automated system of data collection as effectively and efficiently as possible (Stair & Reynolds, Principles of Information Systems , 2011). The school nurse should be required to be trained on basic computer skills such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Word and Power point. These computer skills will enable them to obtain and enter the required data into the new automated system of data collection.

The county registrars and the personnel at the state office of immunization need to receive training that is similar to that of school nurses and healthcare providers. In addition to that training, the county registrars and the personnel at the state office of immunization should be trained on techniques such as data mining and data interpretation (Stair & Reynolds, Fundamentals of Information Systems , 2012). These skills will enable them to conduct proper analysis of the data that has been collected thus facilitating effective and efficient decision making at all levels of the healthcare system. They should also be trained on various techniques of storing data such as data warehousing. This is will enable them to develop databases, data banks that will facilitate the storage data in a safe and secure manner for a long duration of time.

Question 3

How will the new system impact the current software and methods of data collection within each group?

The new automated system of data collection will impact the current software of each and every group within the healthcare system. For the county registrar and the state office of immunization, the current software needs to be upgraded. The software will be upgraded by installing new software that is more effective and efficient with respect to the processing of large amounts of data. This is because with the automation of the data collection system more data will be entered into the system and this data will be required to be processed (Stair & Reynolds, Fundamentals of Information Systems , 2012). This means that the software with will be used to run the computers as well as other devices to be used in data collection, should have the capacity to process large amounts of data. In the event that county registrar and the state office of immunization do not install software that is capable of processing large amounts of data at once, the automated system will not function effectively. This is because the system will be characterized by breakdowns which will lead to the delay in processing of data.Office of Immunizations Case Study» Essay Paper

The healthcare providers as well as the school nurses need to by more computers. In addition to the procurement of more computers they also need to upgrade their software by putting in place software that will facilitate the automated data collection (Stair & Reynolds, Principles of Information Systems , 2011). The nature of the software that they should put in place should have the ability to facilitate real time transmission of data from the healthcare providers and school nurses to county registrars and the state office of immunizations.Office of Immunizations Case Study» Essay Paper

Question 4

How would adhering to a common set of data standards facilitate or expedite this project?

The adhering to a common set of data standards will facilitate the development of an automated data collection system that can be used throughout the healthcare system. The development of such a system will be relatively easier and this is because of the involvement of a variety of stakeholders (Stair & Reynolds, Principles of Information Systems , 2011). The development of such a system will enjoy the input of the healthcare providers, school nurses, county registrar as well as the personnel at the state office of immunization. This will lead to the development of a system that this effective and efficient with regards to the provision of immunization.Office of Immunizations Case Study» Essay Paper

The adherence to a common set of data standards facilitates relatively easier maintenance of the system. This is mainly attributable to the fact that since the system will be widely used across the healthcare system many people will be trained to maintain the system (Lighter & Fair, 2004). As a result of this, the cost of maintenance of the system will be relatively lower. The availability of the many professionals that are capable of maintaining the system will lead to a decline in the amount of money that is charged for the purposes of maintaining the system.

This form of adherence will facilitate faster implementation of the project. This is because the implementation process is similar and so are the challenges to be encountered (Stair & Reynolds, Fundamentals of Information Systems , 2012). As a result of this the solution that is used to solve a particular problem in one location can be used to solve a similar problem in a different location. The process of implementation will also be faster due to the relatively low cost of implementation. The relatively low cost implementation emanates from the ability of the stakeholders to negotiate for better rate because they are procuring items in bulk.Office of Immunizations Case Study» Essay Paper