Effects measured in the evaluation of automated information systems.

The results of a literature search show that most of the evaluation studies of automated information systems are dealing with structure measures. Only 15 of 91 studies investigated effects on the outcome of the care process. Probably one of the reasons for this lack of investigated "outcome" measures is the fact that many of the evaluated systems were not in routine use at the moment of evaluation. It is, however, possible to obtain indicators of outcome measures by investigating the relationship between process measures and outcome measures. In the context of many developments, such as the trend of increasing attention to the evaluation of outcomes of the care process and the increasing costs of health care, the effect of automated information systems on the outcome of the health care process becomes more and more important. In the attempts to develop guidelines for the evaluation of automated information systems, it is therefore important to pay attention to the relationship between process and outcome.