Integration of information systems into the healthcare system can bring great benefits at home. It can assist in reducing the time a patient spends at the hospital in order to receive treatment. An article from the Journal of the Association for Information Systems addresses the vibrant possibilities in proving home health (Singh, Mathiassen, Stachura, & Astapova, 2011). However, this paper aims at critiquing the above-named article. It criticises the likelihood, as well as the need for having information technology in provision of healthcare services.
One of the major arguments from the article is that the use of information technology brings about resourcefulness to develop cost-effectiveness and convenience of healthcare services in a more safe way (Singh, Mathiassen, Stachura, & Astapova, 2011). Even though this is the case, there are so many drawbacks that would prevent realization of this objective. For instance, not every person is computer literate and therefore these services become useless, even if they are rendered at the doorstep. For this reason, effectiveness cannot be attained since those who are targeted to use these resources, have detached themselves from the system. Also, the argument that information technology is cost-effective is a debatable issue. The cost of implementing an information system is expensive. Besides, meeting the cost of software and hardware that will be used in the process, sometimes a licence is needed for every person that will use the system. Mostly, operations that are done behind the scenes to ensure an integrated information system is running are quite many. The cost of installing, as well as maintaining the information system is relatively high. As a matter of fact, these operations require highly skilled personnel and machinery that demands high cost of installation and maintenance, otherwise the system can be compromised. Therefore, the issue of cost-effectiveness should be well reflected and both sides of the coin should look well.
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The article further proposes that due to dynamism in the business environment, there is a need to address the area of strategic management with a more dynamic capability perspective (Singh, Mathiassen, Stachura, & Astapova, 2011). This perspective comes up with all the processes and operations within the institution. It also highlights the routines and competences of the organization to tackle certain problems that can face them. It is worth mentioning that, being in the information age, the use of barbaric means to fight rival groups has long ago been phased out. Currently, the war field has turned to information access. In other words, an individual or a firm that is more informed than the other is more powerful than its rival. This implies that breaching of classified information about an organization’s inner operations places them at a very vulnerable position.
The capability to store data in an electronic database facilitates faster communication. However, information technology systems are very susceptible to security violation, especially when they are easily reached through the Internet. Therefore, this makes everyone to become insecure, since even classified information that is targeted for top management can be also accessed through the use of sophisticated software and skills to hack into information systems.
Besides, the use of telemedicine for the patients who positioned on a long distance from the doctor is considered to be a great achievement. However, privacy issues are matters of concern in administration of distant patients treatment. In case another person happens to know the password to the personal online account of the patient, he can access very private information that was otherwise intended to be confidential. It is therefore apparent that integration of information technology to healthcare is not the ultimate solution to the prevailing problems. There is a need for vigilance and development of more elaborate methods of safeguarding the privacy and interests of patients and other users of technology.