Development of a framework maturity model for the continued quality improvement of a locally customised clinical information system used in critical care medicine

This study examines the development of a maturity model (MM) to help determine and monitor perceived improvement areas that would support the ongoing development of a locally customised hospital critical care Clinical Information System (CIS). The model arose from qualitative data collected from a critical care service in a large teaching hospital. The method involved a first principles examination of the priorities of a critical care service through a textual analysis of the documents considered by the hospital to underpin the strategic, professional and operational priorities of the service. These priorities form the dimensions of a MM, where a series of interviews with staff examine how the CIS can facilitate improvement along each dimension. The MM developed consists of seven dimensions, each illustrated along a percentage scale of increasing sophistication. This model is piloted in the critical care department which has been using a CIS for over four years. Results show that the method proposed is suitable for the development of a CIS MM. The results of the pilot study highlight different individual perceptions on the current level of CIS maturity. The MM is also demonstrated as a tool to assess current performance, and guide ongoing CIS customisation effort.