Karolyn Kerr
The University of Auckland
Abstract
Health care planning and delivery rely heavily on data from management, administrative and clinical sources; nearly all health care activities involve gathering, analysing, or using data. Quality data can lead to quality and cost-effective health care delivery by improving patient outcomes through better decision making. Data quality is inextricably linked to the use of information systems and the health sector is increasingly an information-driven service (Hovenga et al., 1996), where information held in databases and other electronic repositories delivered in a reliable and timely manner, is critical to the health and well-being of patients, the wider population, and to the management of health care organisations (Long & Seko, 2002). Along with an increase in information complexity, there has been a parallel increase in the complex nature of organisations and organisational relationships within the health sector (Gendron & D’Onofrio, 2001).
Keywords: Data Quality, Health Care Planning, Health Delivery
