CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 74Employer Branding and e-HRMElectronic Health Records SystemsInformation Systems Theories and Implementation

Human resource information systems in health care: a systematic evidence review

Open access
Tursunbayeva, Aizhan, Bunduchi, Raluca, Franco, Massimo, Pagliari, Claudia·2017·Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association
DOI 10.1093/jamia/ocw141PMC PMC5391731
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

Objective: This systematic review aimed to: (1) determine the prevalence and scope of existing research on human resource information systems (HRIS) in health organizations; (2) analyze, classify, and synthesize evidence on the processes and impacts of HRIS development, implementation, and adoption; and (3) generate recommendations for HRIS research, practice, and policy, with reference to the needs of different stakeholders. Methods: A structured search strategy was used to interrogate 10 electronic databases indexing research from the health, social, management, technology, and interdisciplinary sciences, alongside gray literature sources and reference lists of qualifying studies. There were no restrictions on language or publication year. Two reviewers screened publications, extracted data, and coded findings according to the innovation stages covered in the studies. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist was adopted to assess study quality. The process of study selection was charted using a Preferred Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) diagram. Results: Of the 6824 publications identified by the search strategy, 68, covering 42 studies, were included for final analysis. Research on HRIS in health was interdisciplinary, often atheoretical, conducted primarily in the hospital sector of high-income economies, and largely focused uncritically on use and realized benefits. Discussion and Conclusions: While studies of HRIS in health exist, the overall lack of evaluative research raises unanswered questions about their capacity to improve quality and efficiency and enable learning health systems, as well as how sociotechnical complexity influences implementation and effectiveness. We offer this analysis to decision makers and managers considering or currently implementing an HRIS, and make recommendations for further research. Trial Registration: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO): CRD42015023581. http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42015023581#.VYu1BPlVjDU.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1093/jamia/ocw141

Cites

2 of 2 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 67

  1. [1]Friedman C, Rigby M Conceptualising and creating a global learning health system. Int J Med Inform. 2013; 82: e63– 71. 22717661
  2. [2]Menachemi N, Burkhardt J, Shewchuk R Hospital information technology and positive financial performance: A different approach to ROI. J Healthc Manag. 2006; 51: 263– 68. 16479749
  3. [3]Khatri N Building HR capability in health care organizations. Health Care Manage Rev. 2006; 31(1): 45– 54. 16493272
  4. [5]Sierra-Cedar 2014-2015 HR Systems Survey. HR Technologies, Deployment Approaches, Integration, Metrics, and Value. Healthcare Edition. 2015.
  5. [6]Horowitz K Automating human resources. Healthcare Informatics. 1996; 13: 108, 110, 112. 10161398
  6. [8]Thite M, Sandhu K Where is my pay? Critical success factors of a payroll system: A system life cycle approach. Australasian J Inform Syst. 2014; 18: 149– 64.
  7. [9]Tursunbayeva A, Pagliari C, Bunduchi R Human Resource Information Systems in Healthcare: A Systematic Review (Protocol). JMIR Res Protoc. 2015; 4: e135. 26627591 PMC4704957
  8. [10]Bunduchi R, Smart A Process innovation costs in supply networks: a synthesis. Int J Manag Rev. 2010; 12: 365– 83.
  9. [11]Pagliari C Design and evaluation in eHealth: challenges and implications for an interdisciplinary field. J Med Internet Res. 2007; 9(2): e15. 17537718 PMC1913937
  10. [12]Parry E, Tyson S Desired goals and actual outcomes of e-HRM. Hum Resour Manage. 2011; 21: 335– 54.
  11. [13]Patterson M, Rick J, Wood S, Carroll C, Balain S, Booth A A Systematic review of the links between human resource management practices and performance. Health Technol Assess. 2010; 14(51): 1– 334. 21050585
  12. [15]Sheikh A, Nurmatov U, Cresswell K, Bates D Investigating the cost-effectiveness of health information technologies: a systematic review protocol. BMJ Open. 2013; 3(12): e003737. PMC3884844 24345899
  13. [18]Altuwaijri MM, Khorsheed MS InnoDiff: a project-based model for successful IT innovation diffusion. Int J Project Manag. 2012; 30: 37– 47.
  14. [19]Bakar AD, Sheikh YH, Sultan ABM Opportunities and challenges of open source software integration in developing countries: case of Zanzibar health sector. J Health Inform Dev Countries. 2012; 6: 443– 53.
  15. [21]Bondarouk T, Sikkel K Explaining groupware implementation through group learning. In: Kosrow-Pour M, ed. Information Technology & Organizations: Trends, Issues, Challenges & Solutions. Philadelphia: Idea Group Publishing; 2003: 463– 66.
  16. [22]Bondarouk T, Sikkel K The role of group learning in implementation of a personnel management system in a hospital. In: Sarmento A, ed. Issues of Human Computer Interactions. Philadelphia: Idea Group Publishing; 2004: 335– 62.
  17. [23]Bondarouk T Implementation of a Personnel Management System “Beaufort”: Successes and Failures at a Dutch Hospital. Cases Inform Technol. 2004; 6: 352– 70.
  18. [24]Bondarouk T, Sikkel K Explaining IT implementation through group learning. Inform Resources Manag J. 2005; 18: 42– 60.
  19. [25]Bondarouk T, Ruel H Organizational Climate for Innovation Implementation and ICT Appropriation: exploring the relationship through discourse analysis. In: Proc 2nd Int Workshop Human Resource Inform Syst. INSTICC Press: Barcelona, Spain: 2008.
  20. [26]Bondarouk T, Ruel H HRM systems for successful information technology implementation: evidence from three case studies. Eur Manag J. 2008; 26: 153– 65.
  21. [28]Cockerill RW, O’Brien-Pallas LL Satisfaction with nursing workload systems: report of a survey of Canadian hospitals. Part A. Can J Nurs Adm. 1990; 3: 17– 22. 2268657
  22. [29]O’Brien-Pallas LL, Cockerill RW Satisfaction with nursing workload systems: report of a survey of Canadian hospitals. Part B. Can J Nurs Adm. 1990; 3(2): 23– 26. 2268658
  23. [30]Dent M, Green R, Smith J, Cox D Corporate information systems, computers and management strategies. In: Continuity and Crisis in the NHS. Open University Press 1991.
  24. [31]Dent M Information technology and managerial strategies in the NHS: computer policies, organizational change and the labour process. Critical Perspectives on Accounting. 1991; 2: 331– 60.
  25. [33]Escobar B, Escobar T ERP systems in hospitals: a case study. Global J Manag Business Res. 2010; 10: 104– 12.
  26. [34]Escobar-Perez B, Escobar-Rodriguez T, Monge-Lozano P ERP systems in hospitals: a case study. J Inform Technol Res. 2010; 3: 34– 50.
  27. [36]Fahey DF, Burbridge G Application of diffusion of innovations models in hospital knowledge management systems: lessons to be learned in complex organizations. Hosp Top. 2008; 86: 21– 31. 18450559
  28. [39]Hawker RW, Braj B, Campbell J Development and application of a computerized workload measurement tool for nurse educators. Can J Nurs Adm. 1996; 9: 51– 66. 8918774
  29. [40]Helfert M Challenges of business processes management in healthcare: experience in the Irish healthcare sector. Business Process Manag J. 2009; 15: 937– 52.
  30. [41]Kazmi SAZ, Naaranoja M HRIS: An effective knowledge management solution. GSTF Business Review (GBR). 2014; 3: 87– 96.
  31. [42]Kumar R, Shaikh BT, Ahmed J The human resource information system: a rapid appraisal of Pakistan’s capacity to employ the tool. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2013; 13: 104. 24016066 PMC3848578
  32. [43]Lin IC, Hou YH, Huang HL Managing nursing assistants with a web-based system: An empirical investigation of the mixed-staff strategy. J Med Syst. 2010; 34(3): 341– 48. 20503619
  33. [44]Memel DS, Scott JP, McMillan DR Development and implementation of an information management and information technology strategy for improving healthcare services: a case study. J Healthc Inf Manag. 2001; 15: 261– 85. 11642144
  34. [45]Pierantoni CR, Vianna AL Evaluation of public policy implementation: human resources information and management systems in the context of health sector reforms in Brazil. Physics. 2003; 13(1):5 9– 92.
  35. [49]KPMG. Queensland Health. Review of the Queensland Health Payroll System. 2012 https://delimiter.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/KPMG_audit.pdf. Accessed March 23, 2016.
  36. [50]Ernst & Young. Review of Payroll and Rostering Solutions. Queensland Health: Ernst & Young; 2010.
  37. [53]Silva AR, Rosemann M Integrating organisational design with IT design. The Queensland Health payroll case. In: Peffers K, Rothenberger M, Kuechler B, eds. Design Science Research in Information Systems Advances in Theory and Practice. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer; 2012: 271– 86.
  38. [54]Eden R, Sedera D The largest admitted IT project failure in the Southern Hemisphere: a teaching case. In: Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Information Systems. Building a Better World Through Information Systems AISeL. Auckland, New Zealand, Brisbane, Australia: Queensland University of Technology; 2014.
  39. [56]Fagerstrom L, Rainio AK, Rauhala A Professional assessment of optimal nursing care intensity level. A new method for resource allocation as an alternative to classical studies. Scand J Caring Sci. 2000; 14: 97– 104. 12035282
  40. [57]Fagerstrom L, Rainio AK, Rauhala A Validation of a new method for patient classification, the Oulu patient classification. J Adv Nurs. 2000; 31: 481– 90. 10672108
  41. [58]Rauhala A, Fagerstrom L Determining optimal nursing intensity: the Rafaela method. J Adv Nurs. 2004; 45(4): 351– 9. 14756829
  42. [59]Rauhala A, Fagerstrom L Are nurses’ assessments of their workload affected by non-patient factors? An analysis of the Rafaela system. J Nurs Manag. 2007; 15: 490– 9. 17576247
  43. [60]Rauhala A, Kivimaki M, Fagerstrom L What degree of work overload is likely to cause increased sickness absenteeism among nurses? Evidence from the Rafaela patient classification system. J Adv Nurs. 2007; 57(3): 286– 95. 17233648
  44. [61]Fagerstrom L Evidence-based human resource management: a study of nurse leaders’ resource allocation. J Nurs Manag. 2009; 17: 415– 25. 19531141
  45. [62]Rainio AK, Ohinmaa AE Assessment of nursing management and utilization of nursing resources with the Rafaela patient classification system – case study from the general wards of one central hospital. J Clin Nurs. 2005; 14: 674– 84. 15946275
  46. [63]Riley PL, Vindigni SM, Arudo J Developing a nursing database system in Kenya. Health Serv Res. 2007; 43(2 (Part III)): 1389– 405. PMC1955370 17489921
  47. [64]Riley PL, Zuber A, Vindigni SM Information systems on human resources for health: a global review. Hum Resour Health. 2012; 10: 7. 22546089 PMC3433380
  48. [65]Rodger JA, Pendharkar PC, Paper DJ Reengineering human resource information systems in health care: a case study. Atlanta: Decision Sciences Institute Proceedings. 1998; 1: 80– 2.
  49. [67]Ruland C Developing a decision support system to meet nurse managers’ information needs for effective resource management. Comput Nurs. 2001; 19: 187– 93. 11577660
  50. [68]Ruland CM, Ravn IH An information system to improve financial management, resource allocation and activity planning: evaluation results. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2001; 84: 1203– 06. 11604921
  51. [69]Sammon D, Adam F Project preparedness and the emergence of implementation problems in ERP projects. Inform Manag. 2010; 47: 1– 8.
  52. [71]Shukla M, Verma S, Narayanan M Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS): A Review across States of India. IntraHealth International, Inc. 2014 http://www.capacityplus.org/files/resources/human-resources-information-systems-review-states-india.pdf Accessed March 23, 2016.
  53. [72]Smith LD, Wiggins A, Bird D Post implementation experience with computer-assisted nurse scheduling in a large hospital. INFOR. 1979; 17: 309– 21.
  54. [74]Spero JC, McQuide PA, Matte R Tracking and monitoring the health workforce: a new human resources information system (HRIS) in Uganda. Hum Resour Health. 2011; 9: 6. 21329516 PMC3049180
  55. [75]Stamouli MA, Mantas J Development and evaluation of a Nursing Service Management and Administration information system at district hospital. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2001; 84(Pt 1): 759– 63. 11604839
  56. [76]Thouin MF, Bardhan I The effect of information systems on the quality and cost of healthcare processes: a longitudinal study of U.S. hospitals. In: ICIS Proceedings. 2009 Paper 64.
  57. [77]Valentine NM, Nash J, Hughes D Achieving effective staffing through a shared decision-making approach to open-shift management. J Nurs Adm. 2008; 38: 331– 5. 18690123
  58. [78]Waring TS The Systems Analyst and Emancipatory Practice: An Exploratory Study in Three NHS Hospitals. University of Northumbria at Newcastle; 2000 http://www.mngt.waikato.ac.nz/ejrot/cmsconference/2005/proceedings/criticalpractices/Waring.pdf. Accessed March 23, 2016.
  59. [79]Waring T Communicating the complexity of integrating information systems: a case study of the procurement of a payroll-personnel system. Int J Human Resources Dev Manag. 2004; 4: 431– 48.
  60. [80]Warner M, Keller BJ, Martel SH Automated nurse scheduling. J Soc Health Syst. 1991; 2: 66– 80. 1760546
  61. [81]Waters KP, Zuber A, Willy RM Kenya’s health workforce information system: a model of impact on strategic human resources policy, planning and management. Int J Med Inform. 2013; 82: 895– 902. 23871121
  62. [82]West C, Farmer J, Whyte B Implementing computerised workload data collection in rural primary health care. Aust J Rural Health. 2004; 12(1): 11– 16. 14723775
  63. [83]World Health Organization. The role of research and information systems in decision-making for the development of human resources for health. Report of a WHO Study Group. World Health Organization - Technical Report Series. 1990; 802: 1– 53. 2125769
  64. [85]Shekelle PG, Goldzweig CL Cost and Benefits of Health Information Technology: an Updated Systematic Review. Southern California Evidence-based Practice Centre, RAND Corporation; 2009.
  65. [87]Strohmeier S Research in E-HRM: review and implications. Hum Resource Manag Rev. 2007; 17: 19– 37.
  66. [88]Boonstra A, Versluis A, Vos J Implementing electronic health records in hospitals: a systematic literature review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2014; 14: 370. 25190184 PMC4162964
  67. [92]Ishijima H, Mapunda M, Mndeme M, Sukums S, Mlay VS Challenges and opportunities for effective adoption of HRH information systems in developing countries: National rollout of HRHIS and TIIS in Tanzania. Human Resources Health. 2015; 13(48). PMC4477301 26077600

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Tursunbayeva, A., Bunduchi, R., Franco, M., & Pagliari, C.
Affiliations
  • University of Molise (IT)
  • University of Edinburgh (GB)
Corresponding author
Pagliari, Claudia
ORCID
Venue
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2016-10-05
Volume
24
Issue
3
Pages
633-654
ISSN
  • 1067-5027 (ISSN-L)
  • 1527-974X
DOI
10.1093/jamia/ocw141
PMC
PMC5391731
OpenAlex
W2527912905
Cited by
74
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5
FWCI
1.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca - Università degli Studi del Molise (submittedVersion)
  • Edinburgh Research Explorer (University of Edinburgh) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • CINECA IRIS Institutial research information system (Parthenope University of Naples) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Economic and Social Research Council Administrative Data Research Centre (ES/L007487/1)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Employer Branding and e-HRM
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Electronic Health Records Systems
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Information Systems Theories and Implementation
Keywords
human resource information systems, health care organization, HRIS implementation, HRIS adoption, learning health systems, hospital human resources, stakeholder needs
MeSH terms
Health Personnel, Health Services Research, Humans, Management Information Systems, Personnel Management

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review