Evaluation Methods in Biomedical Informatics / Edition 2

by Charles P. Friedman, Jeremy Wyatt

Overview

Evaluation Methods in Medical Informatics, Second Edition is a heavily updated and revised volume based on editors Friedman and Wyatt's successful first edition. This book incorporates the solid foundation of evaluation theories, methods, and techniques laid out in the first edition, and builds on it to include case studies from real world situations. Designed as a guide for both the informatics novice and the seasoned professional seeking a comprehensive resource, this book explores information systems evaluation from the ground up. Critique and discussion of actual evaluation efforts will guide the reader through real world application of the techniques described.

Just like its first edition, this volume is an unparalleled reference for a broad range of health information professionals. From those in training for careers in informatics to on-site medical information systems staff, Evaluation Methods in Medical Informatics, Second Edition isan invaluable guide to successful evaluation of information technology in health care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780387258898
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	10/20/2005
Series:	Health Informatics
Edition description:	2nd ed. 2006
Pages:	386
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.04(d)

About the Author

Friedman, Charles P., PhD (Univ of Pittsburgh); Wyatt, Jeremy C., MB, BS, DM, MRCP (Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London)

The contributors represent the specialties of computer science/information systems and educational development. One is from Quinnipiac Coll and the other is from Univ of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Table of Contents

Challenges of Evaluation in Biomedical Informatics.- Evaluation as a Field.- Determining What to Study 48.- The Structure of Objectivist Studies 85.- Measurement Fundamentals.- Developing and Improving Measurement Methods.- The Design of Demonstration Studies.- Analyzing the Results of Demonstration Studies.- Subjectivist Approaches to Evaluation.- Performing Subjectivist Studies in the Qualitative Traditions Responsive to Users.- Economic Aspects of Evaluation.- Proposing and Communicating the Results of Evaluation Studies: Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Issues.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Anne M Bobb, BS Pharm(Northwestern Memorial Hospital)
Description: This book, part of the Health Informatics series, is the second edition of a book originally published in the mid to late 1990s that provides a thorough review of the theoretical and practical approaches to evaluation in biomedical informatics, both quantitative and qualitative, and includes examples and self-test exercises that aid the reader in concept understanding and practical application.
Purpose: It is designed to serve as a textbook for a graduate level course in informatics, as well as a general reference for those wishing to evaluate a particular aspect of the wide range of biomedical applications. In the rapidly evolving field of biomedical informatics, a thorough and practical evaluation of an application or system is of vital importance, both from the participant perspective and patient outcomes if studying a clinical intervention. The authors effectively explain the "whys" and the "how to" of evaluation.
Audience: This book was written for students training for careers in informatics who, as part of their curricula, must learn to perform evaluation studies as well as those responsible (both technical and clinical) for information systems in biomedical or health settings who wish to understand the system impact or how best to improve them. Both authors are unique in that they have an in-depth understanding of basic science of informatics as well as well as practical knowledge of the world of clinical medicine and the realities of system implementation.
Features: This book begins with the basics, by describing the need for evaluation in biomedical informatics and progresses to an in-depth review of both objectivist and subjectivist approaches to evaluation and concludes with results analysis and communication of these results. The most important aspect of the book is the authors' thoroughness in presenting the different approaches to evaluation, the reasons to use one method over another and the common pitfalls to avoid when performing an evaluation study. The use of contributors, clearly experts in their particular fields, to write certain chapters in this book further expands the information. This book is timely in that some of the biomedical evaluation studies that have been recently published in major medical journals have attracted national media attention but their methods and conclusions have been widely criticized by the informatics community. Certain chapters of this book should almost be required reading for those undertaking evaluation studies with the intent to publish, as these studies have been very effective in creating or swaying broad opinion.
Assessment: This book is a true addition to the field of biomedical informatics. In this rapidly evolving field, which typically involves interaction between computers and humans, it is easy to overestimate the positive impact of applications and systems. Thorough evaluation of these systems, studied in many different ways, is vital to the overall system's success. This book gives the reader the necessary tools to perform an appropriate evaluation of basic or applied systems with the potential to impact the entire biomedical informatics field.

Doody's Review Service

From the reviews of the second edition:

"What is the difference between evaluation and research? This updated second edition provides valuable introductory material exploring the differences and similarities, and usefully covers many of the statistical and other techniques common to both. The first edition has become a standard text for many courses on the subject and for many informaticians undertaking evaluation studies in health informatics. No doubt this latest edition will be similarly popular." (Dr. Peter J. Murray, British Journal of Healthcare & Information Management, Vol. 24 (2), March, 2007)

From the Publisher

3 Stars from Doody

This book is a significant effort to outline fundamental methods in the evaluation of existing or proposed computer systems in healthcare. The purpose is to provide a practical reference from which academic informatics experts and others involved in the serious analysis of computer systems in healthcare may derive insights pertaining to study design, implementation, and publication. The analysis of information systems, extant and proposed, is of interest to informatics theorists, hospital information system designers, chief information officers (CIOs) in the managed car industry, and, ultimately, to governmental agencies such as HCFA. This 310-page book is divided into 11 sparsely illustrated chapters accompanied by ample citations and a fine glossary of terms As institutions across the nation and the world grapple with how to make optimal use of computer technology in the transformation of modern medicine, questions about best to evaluate proposals for new systems and how to analyze existing systems are a first-order priority. Moreover, the book wrestles with deep questions that probe the structure of scientific studies themselves. What kinds of studies are there? What are their strengths and limitations? How do methods of science best apply to the still-developing field of medical informatics? This book will not be of interest to novice computer users or those trying to outfit a small office. However, any scholar interested in reviewing the scientific basis of evaluation methods will find the clarity of the work and its meticulous documentation by extensive citations a classic. For those who lack the reading time to absorb a 300-page text, just reviewing the seven-page glossarywill be a useful exercise to get a grasp of the numerous reports in business and academia that will be forthcoming in the next decade about computers in medicine.

Robert Hogan