Strategic information management in health care - myth or reality?

This paper uses data gathered from a case NHS Trust in Scotland to demonstrate progress in terms of operational and strategic information management and to highlight some of the problems currently experienced in the health-care environment in striving to comply with governmental policies relating to information sharing. Progress has certainly been made and there is recognition of the potential to be achieved from more efficient and effective information management in health care. Problems exist, however, and there is still a considerable gap to be filled between the policy objectives and what is actually achievable in reality on a day-to-day basis. Data have been gathered from a hospital and a health centre to illustrate information flow between two of the Trust entities and a benchmark has been provided, showing that best practice can be achieved and how it can be achieved.