Application of the design–reality gap model to enhance high availability of systems for health care providers in nairobi, kenya

Abstract

The health care sector continues to implement and rely on computer based information systems. In doing this, the providers install high end computing technology in hardware, software and network infrastructure imported from advanced countries. The success of these systems is degraded by various factors. This study applies the Design-Reality Gap model to understand and evaluate the dimensions affecting systems availability in the health sector in Nairobi, Kenya. The objective was to form the basis of improvement of the systems availability by appropriate mitigations. A qualitative study was conducted on a number of medium and large health care institutions, both public and private. It was apparent that various dimensions of the model are responsible for degraded availability. The study concludes that corporate objectives, staff skills and technology aspects present the strongest challenges, while other dimensions are observed in varying degrees. Keywords: High Availability Systems, Health Information Systems, Design-Reality Gap Model