Building Health Management Information Systems in Egypt - PHRplus

4.0 MIS Conceptual Framework
Existing information systems fall into two major categories, facility management systems
and hierarchical information systems. Following sections describe the general characteristics of
each, and how they relate to each other.
4.1 Facility Management Systems
Facility management systems include database management systems commonly found in
large inpatient facilities, such as Admission/Discharge/Transfer, Medical Records, Medical
Materials Control or Drug Inventory Control, Personnel/Payroll, General Accounting, and so on.
These database subsystems are often, though not always, integrated so that appropriate
information is passed horizontally from one subsystem to another. Figure 2 is a simple example
of how these systems are often related.
4.2 Hierarchical Information Systems
Hierarchical information systems collect data at one level and pass it to a higher level,
where information from similar units is consolidated and processed. This process may be repeated
at the next level, so that information becomes increasingly consolidated as it passes up through the
hierarchy until reaching the top executive level. A pyramid, as shown in Figure 3-1, is often used
to depict this kind of system. As indicated, information consumers at different levels need
different kinds of information presented in different ways. In a hierarchical organization with
multiple management units and levels, this general concept is often replicated in tiers, as shown in
Figure 4. Such a system is designed to support managers and decision-makers at different levels
and in different locations. There are executive decision-makers at many levels, each needing
information. A system meeting these needs is not a single pyramid with a single apex, but a
hierarchy of information pyramids, each serving decision-makers at one level while providing
information for use at the next.
4.3 Combined Systems
Facility management systems are often an important component of hierarchical
information systems. They collect data as a part of routine operations, providing essential
resource consumption and performance monitoring data as a byproduct. Implementing these
systems replaces a multitude of forms for collecting data. Often these forms provide no value to
the facility itself.
Figure 5 is a simple diagram showing a combination of facility management and
hierarchical information systems mapped to the MOHP context. It is a combination of systems
being implemented and systems being planned under various projects. It illustrates important
concepts and issues discussed in following sections.
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