Instructions
Analyze your assigned case and write your case study analysis.
The Sittig and Singh article introduces a new sociotechnical with eight dimensions for studying
HIT in complex adaptive healthcare systems.
If you read the article carefully, you may have noticed that in Table 1, Sittig and Singh apply their
new 8-dimension sociotechnical model to analyze the same cases from Unit 1. Table 1 includes
some sociotechnical factors that would need to be addressed. You may note that the sociotechnical approach reveals more factors that need to be addressed compared to the factors
that were raised in the Unit 1 case studies that used an MIS approach.
For the case study analysis, use Sittig and Singh’s 8-dimension sociotechnical model to analyze
the case study assigned to you. The cases this week also described failures and used an MIS
approach. Use Sittig and Singh’s 8-dimension sociotechnical model to analyze your assigned
case to identify the sociotechnical factors that should be addressed and discuss how the
sociotechnical dimensions interact with each other to give you insights about the problems,
solutions, or approaches in the case that may not be discussed by the authors.
Your analysis should demonstrate critical thinking and scholarly investigation, should be informed
by peer-reviewed literature, and referenced appropriately.
Each of you has been assigned a case, which you will find in the Readings folder. Your case
number is posted next to your name in the “Find your case assignment” chart.
1. Case #1 is Hoot, N. R., & Sanders, D. L. (2005). Case 8. Implementation of OpChart in West
Medical Building. In L. Einbinder & N. M. Lorenzi (Eds.), Transforming Health Care Through
Information: Case Studies (3rd ed., Health Informatics, pp. 81-91). New York: Springer
Science+Business Media.
Case Study Analysis Requirements
• You must follow APA style rules for your case study analysis, including for heading, citations,
and references.
Required Assignment Format
The following sections should be the Level 1 headings for your case study analysis. You may,
and probably should, have Level 2 headings to organize your arguments within each section of the paper.
• Introduction – This is where you describe the background and situation/problem presented in
the case. Introduce, in your own words, the problem and situation presented in the case study.
• Results/Analysis – This is where you narrate the findings of your analysis and describe how you
made your decision about what to analyze. Write up your analysis of the case, using section
headers and supportive references as appropriate. In this case study analysis, this could include
characteristics of each of the eight dimensions of Sittig and Singh’s new sociotechnical model.
(E.g. a description of the users, some of their characteristics that impact the project, and how you
decided those characteristics were important.)
• Discussion – Discuss the interpretation of your results and analysis. For this case study
analysis, you might discuss how the characteristics of the dimensions did or did not match to
create success or failure.
• Conclusion – Summarize your findings in this section.
Tips for Conducting an Analysis
What is the situation?
Usually reading the first and last sections of the case is sufficient to identify the situation.
Decisions and evaluations tend to be stated at the beginning.
What is the problem?
• Who or what is the subject of the problem (e.g., a manager)? What is the problem? What’s the significance of the problem to the subject? Who is responsible for the problem and what might
s/he need to know to do something about it? Make sure you know the problem that needs to be
diagnosed. Consider whether the characteristics of the problem suggest causes.
1. Subject of the problem
2. The problem
3. significance of the problem to the subject
4. Who is responsible for the problem?
5. What can responsible party do about the problem
Make your decision about what to analyze
• Review the 8 dimensions of Sittig and Singh outlined in Table 1:
1. Hardware and software computing infrastructure refers to equipment and software used to
power, support, and operate clinical applications and devices.
2. Clinical content refers to textual or numeric data and images that constitute the ‘language’ of
clinical applications.
3. The human computer interface includes all aspects of the computer that users can see, touch
or hear as they interact with it.
4. People refers to everyone who interacts in some way with the system, from developer to end
user, including potential patient-users.
5. Workflow and communication are the processes or steps involved in ensuring that patient care
tasks are carried out effectively.
6. Internal organizational features are, e.g., policies, procedures and culture.
7. External rules and regulations may facilitate or constrain many aspects of the preceding dimensions.
8. Measurement and monitoring refers to the process of measuring and evaluating both intended
and unintended consequences of HIT implementation and use.
• Identify which of the 8 dimensions of the Sittig and Singh model seem most appropriate to the
situation/problem as presented in the case.
1.
• Thinking about the 8 dimensions, for which dimensions do you find the most evidence in the
case. Those are the dimensions you should investigate further for your case analysis.
1.
• If the case has a lot of quantitative evidence, to which of the 8 dimensions is the evidence most
relevant? If you can’t see an immediate connection, propose one that seems reasonable to
explain the situation. Work up as much relevant, high-value quantitative evidence as you can.
1.
• If there are conflicts between individuals or groups in the case, think about why that is. Build
your analysis from the point of view of each of the parties to the conflict.
1.
• If one or more active participants in the event is/are in a difficult position in relation to the
situation, consider why that is in your analysis.
1.
Defend your decision about what you analyzed
• Among the dimensions you have selected so far that you felt were in greatest evidence in the
case, which dimension(s) do you feel is (are) most likely the major cause(s) of the problems.
1.
• Provide a detailed explanation of why you made this selection to the exclusion of others.
Defend your choice. What stands out in the case to make you feel as you do.
1.
