IMIA Working Group 15: technology assessment and quality development in health informatics.

The working group on technology assessment and quality development in health informatics was established as a follow-up to the recommendations made at the IMIA-ISTAHC working conference in 1990. The working group was approved by the IMIA General Assembly at Kyoto, September, 1993. The working group aims to further develop the field of technology assessment and quality development in health informatics, by: promoting consensus development on methodological issues; promoting comprehensive assessment of health care information technologies, for instance by providing expertise; demonstrating the value and importance of assessment of health care information technologies, to health care decision makers, health care providers and developers of information technologies.

[Towards an accreditation system for the Dutch hospitals].

The development of the Netherlands system for accreditation of hospitals started in 1989 in the Pilotproject Accreditation (PACE). This resulted in the establishment of the Netherlands Institute for Accreditation of Hospitals (NAIH) early 1999, by the Dutch Association of Hospitals, the Dutch Association of University Hospitals, the Dutch Organisation of Medical Specialists and the PACE foundation. Dutch hospitals may request (voluntary) for an accredition for their whole organisation or for parts of it, independent of the used quality system.

Effects of a nursing information system in 5 Dutch hospitals.

Two studies of the effects of components of the integrated Nursing Information System VISION, involving five Dutch hospitals, were concluded in 1996. This paper summarises these studies and their results. The studies assessed effects on workload, quality of co-ordination, job satisfaction, patient satisfaction and quality of information supply.