Research Information System in Health Domain: Comparative Approach

• Main Authors: Ramezan Ghorbani Nahid, Heidari Gholamreza, Noot Rosemarie, Fakour Youssef, Meraji Marziye
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Aras Part Medical International Press 2015-07-01
• Series: Crescent Journal of Medical and Biological Sciences
• Subjects: Health; Information system; Iran; Management information research; Research information; Research information system
• Online Access: http://cjmb.org/PDF/CJMB-2-81.pdf

Objective: In recent decades, in low-income developing countries, management has faced serious challenges due to deficient information. An increasing number of dispersed data, concepts, observation of poor outputs, and separate software applications aggravated the situation, too. In order to promote and balance the research environment in the field of health, developing a platform for appropriate interactions is essential. Thus, the basic question is what requirements must be considered for suitable health research information system in Iran? Materials and Methods: The present study is a descriptive-comparative approach conducted in Iran in the years 2010-2011. System requirements of research information in Iran, United States, Australia, Japan and Netherland were reviewed and compared. Checklist was used for data collection. Data was collected from conference and journals papers and relevant manuals/guidelines from websites on their systems. Finally, data collected in the comparative tables were compared and described. Results: The requirement for national health research information system were determined based on the following central axis: structure, content, methods of gathering information, services and capabilities and methods of disseminating information which were assigned base on common and diverse components in countries’ systems. Conclusion: In order to achieve this national system, it is important that there should be a common serious determination for its development, change in attitude and culture of the researcher’s society in the domain of health and also improvement in the country’s information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure.