Information Systems and Healthcare XX: Toward Seamless Healthcare with Software Agents

Communications of the Association for Information Systems (CAIS), Vol. 19 (2007), Article 33, pp. 692-709

Posted: 29 Sep 2012

See all articles by Andreas Schweiger

Andreas Schweiger

Technische Universität München (TUM)

Ali Sunyaev

University of Cologne; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

J. M. Leimeister

University of St. Gallen; University of Kassel - Information Systems

Helmut Krcmar

Technische Universität München (TUM)

Date Written: 2007

Abstract

Healthcare processes are frequently fragmented and often badly supported with IT. Inter- and intra organizational communication and media frictions complicate the continuous provision of information according to the principle of information logistics. Based on extensive literature review, we present the vision of seamless healthcare with horizontally and vertically integrated healthcare processes enabled by seamless IT support. Its implementation requires the establishment of a communication infrastructure and the deployment of adequate standards in healthcare. There are already comprehensive approaches for dealing with integrating heterogeneous information systems. However, they lack a common communication infrastructure and do not support pro-activity and flexibility which are dominant characteristics in healthcare. We propose a software agent-based approach for realizing the vision of seamless healthcare. We present a corresponding implementation for integrating heterogeneous information systems in the context of the German Health Telematics Infrastructure. Based on the concept and the implementation, we show that the modular approach is capable of supporting a wide range of different applications. We furthermore outline which facets of an agent-based solution could be implemented in an operative real-world environment. In closing we derive implications for IT decision makers in healthcare and show directions for future approaches for reducing information logistics related shortcomings in healthcare.

Keywords: healthcare information systems, information logistics, standards, software agent

Suggested Citation

Schweiger, Andreas and Sunyaev, Ali and Leimeister, Jan Marco and Krcmar, Helmut, Information Systems and Healthcare XX: Toward Seamless Healthcare with Software Agents (2007). Communications of the Association for Information Systems (CAIS), Vol. 19 (2007), Article 33, pp. 692-709, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2153076

Andreas Schweiger

Technische Universität München (TUM) ( email )

Arcisstrasse 21
Munich, DE 80333
Germany

Ali Sunyaev (Contact Author)

University of Cologne ( email )

Albertus-Magnus-Platz
Cologne, 50923
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.isq.uni-koeln.de

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology ( email )

Kaiserstraße 12
Karlsruhe, Baden Württemberg 76131
Germany

Jan Marco Leimeister

University of St. Gallen ( email )

Varnbuelstr. 14
Saint Gallen, St. Gallen CH-9000
Switzerland

University of Kassel - Information Systems ( email )

Pfannkuchstraße 1
Kassel, 34121
Germany

Helmut Krcmar

Technische Universität München (TUM) ( email )

Arcisstrasse 21
Munich, DE 80333
Germany

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