This course examined the core operations of a hospital incorporating information technology required for hospital operations and why. It included an evaluation of all aspects of the healthcare environment and how information technology affects hospital operations.

The goals for the course were to:

• acquire a working knowledge of the core operations of hospital organizations;
• develop an understanding of the role of information technology within hospital operations;
• gain critical thinking skills required to analyze and improve hospital operations.

Managing Health Care Information Systems, A practical Approach for Health Care Executives, Karen Wager, Frances Wickham Lee and John Glaser
Healthcare in Crisis: a Digital Solution, David Veillette

During this course I gained a better understanding of the operational aspects involved in the function of a hospital. I learned new things about the organizational structure of a hospital and about the business and political sides of running a health care facility. I came to appreciate the important role that governance plays in the operation of a hospital enterprise.

After having several very positive team experiences where I was very satisfied with the project results, This experience did not meet my expectations.  It may have been due to having an assigned topic that we didn’t pick based on personal interests.It may have been that we all had backgrounds that were too similar, and we were missing additional perspective on the topic.  It may have been the approach we took to the research was not as effective. Whatever the root cause may have been, this team experience was not as dynamic as the earlier ones and the resulting project artifact did not demonstrate some of the qualities found in prior projects.

Regardless of the results achieved in the project artifact, the experience provided valuable insight and it changed my thinking about how to achieve top results from a project team. I developed the following hypothesis which I have been working to confirm or reject.

The quality of the results depends on the level of interest in the subject. I now spend time with a new team finding a way to position an assignment to best the interests of the group. Some aspect of the research needs to spark personal passion with everyone on the team or the probability will be low of attaining that special luster in the project.

Diverse backgrounds enable a team to produce better quality results. Different perspectives add richness to what a team can achieve. When possible, I avoid joining “totally techie” or “mostly medical” teams in favor of a team with a greater mix of experience.

Developing a sound research framework for the project plays a big role in creating work products that contribute valuable insight.  Certain knowledge building patterns are just stronger than others.  When a project follows a strong framework, the end result is always better in terms of adding valuable knowledge. The form that the research takes contributes more heavily to the quality of the final project than the specific topic studied. I spend as much or more time thinking about the methodology to employ as I do thinking about the topic to be studied.

While the resulting artifact from this course didn’t match the success attained in other projects, it produced a great deal of insight about the process which will benefit future project work.