Skip to main content
Log in

Architecturing large integrated complex information systems: an application to healthcare

  • Regular Paper
  • Published:
Knowledge and Information Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The global enterprise-wide approaches help organizations to model and understand the enterprise key components and their relationships and manage the organizations’ transformations and change. However, many of these approaches lack of insights into how to manage complexities related to the multitude of applications developed in silos such as the various systems in health organizations that were designed independently from each other. This paper contributes to the solutions addressing this issue by proposing a methodology and tools to create foundations based on key components to help develop the information architecture at the heart of the enterprise architecture that can guarantee the evolution of the organization. These core components are a set of reusable Field Actions representing the non-contextual persistent information, a common canonical Corporate Conceptual Data Model capturing all the vital data in the organization, and Views or sub-schema of this global data model that represent information for different stakeholders in the organization. To show the effectiveness of the proposed approach and to gain more insights into its practical value, the architecturing approach is applied in the healthcare domain to create the information architecture and the enterprise architecture for the Quebec healthcare network.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Smirnov A, Shilov N, Levashova T, Sheremeteov L, Contreras M (2007) Ontology-driven intelligent service for configuration support in networked organizations. Knowl Inf Syst 12(2): 229–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Alvarado M, Sheremeteov L, Banares-Alcantara R, Cantu-Ortiz F (2007) Current challenges and trends in intelligent computing and knowledge management in industry. Knowl Inf Syst 12(2): 117–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Maruşter L, van Beest NRTP (2009) Redesigning business processes: a methodology based on simulation and process mining techniques. Knowl Inf Syst 21(3): 267–297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. ANSI/IEEE 1471-2000 Recommended practice for architecture description of software-intensive systems

  5. Moller C (2006) On managing the enterprise information systems transformation: lessons learned and research challenges, IFIP international federation for information processing, vol 205. Springer, Boston 307–317

  6. McGinnis LF (2007) Enterprise modeling and enterprise transformation, information, knowledge. Syst Manage 6(1–2): 123–143

    Google Scholar 

  7. Zachman JA (1987) A framework for information system architecture; IBM. Syst J 26(3). IBM Publication G321-5298

  8. The Open Group, TOGAF, The Open Group Architecture Framework. http://www.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf/

  9. Berck D (2006) Presentation from the chief Architect’s Forum, CAF quaterly meeting, FEA PMO Update, October 11, 2006. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/documents/2006_CAF_Qtrly_Mtg.pdf

  10. Jean G (2000) Urbanisation du business et des SI, Hermes 2000, Lavoisier 20002. ISBN: 2-7462-0135-6

  11. Ambler SW (2002) Agile modeling: effective practices for extreme programming and the unified process. New York: Wiley. ISBN: 0-471-20282-7

  12. Martin J (1991) Rapid application development, Macmillan Coll Div. ISBN: 0-02-376775-8

  13. Beck K (2000) Extreme programming explained-embrace change, reading. Addison Wesley Longman, MA

    Google Scholar 

  14. Le Moigne JL (1973) Les systemes d’information dans les organisations, PUF 1973

  15. Tardieu H, Rochfeld A, Colletti R, Panet G, Vahee G (1985) La methode Merise—Tome 2 Demarches et pratiques. Editions d’organisation (Paris)e: 460 p. ISBN 2-7081-0703-8

  16. D Pascot (1999) La methode Datarun, Management Information Systems Department, Faculty of Business Administration, Laval University, Quebec, Canada. http://loli.fsa.ulaval.ca/fileadmin/Methodes/Analyse/pdf-datarun/DATARUN.pdf

  17. The Quebec Health and Social Services System-Ministere de la Sante et des Services Sociaux (MSSS). http://www.msss.gouv.qc.ca/en/index.php

  18. Cadre methodologique, Direction adjointe a l’architecture et aux orientations technologiques (DAAOT), The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), Quebec, Canada, 2007

  19. Tabourier Y De l’autre cote de Merise: Systemes d’information et modeles d’entreprise, Les editions d’organisation, ISBN: 2-7081-0762-3

  20. Rochfeld A, Morejon J, La Methode Merise (1989) Tome 3, Gamme operatoire, Les editions d’Organisation, 1989. ISBN: 2-7081-1057-8

  21. Martin J, Finkelstein C (1981) Information engineering, technical report (2 vol), Savant Institute, Carnforth, Lancs, UK, November 1981

  22. Macdonald I (1986) Information engineering in information systems design methodologies. In: TW Olle et al (eds). North-Holland

  23. Gane C, Sarson T (1979) Structured systems analysis: tools and techniques. Prentice-Hall Inc. ISBN: 0-13-854547-2

  24. De Marco T (1979) Structured analysis and system specification. Prentice-Hall Inc. ISBN:0-13-854380-1

  25. Royce WW (1970) managing the development of large software systems, In: Proceedings of IEEE WESCON, August 1970

  26. Gamma E, Helm R, Johnson R, Vlissides J (1995) Design patterns: elements of reusable object-oriented software. Addison-Wesley. ISBN: 0-201-63361-2

  27. Pressman RS (2004) Software engineering: a practitioner’s approach. The McGraw-Hill Companies. ISBN: 007301933X

  28. Waldner JP (1992) CIM: principles of computer integrated manufacturing. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, p 47. ISBN: 047193450X

  29. The Federal Architecture Working Group (FAWG) (2001) A practical guide: federal enterprise architecture framework, Version 1, February 2001. http://www.gao.gov/bestpractices/bpeaguide.pdf

  30. The Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF). http://www.defenselink.mil/cio-nii/docs/DoDAF_Volume_II.pdf

  31. CIO-Council (1999) Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework version 1.1. http://www.cio.gov/Documents/fedarch1.pdf

  32. Enterprise modeling: white paper, Center of Excellence in Enterprise Architecture-CEISAR, April 2008. http://www.ceisar.org/

  33. Le Moigne JL (2002) La modelisation des systemes complexes, Dunod

  34. Le Moigne JL Les formalismes de la modelisation systemique. http://www.mcxapc.org/docs/ateliers/0505formalismesvfr.pdf

  35. Pascot D (2007) Conception des SIO, lecture notes, Management Information Systems Department, Faculty of Business Administration, Laval University, Quebec, Canada. http://loli.fsa.ulaval.ca/index.php?id=478

  36. Tardieu H, Nanci D, Pascat D (1979) Conception d’un systeme d’information : Construction de la base de donnees, Edition d’organisation

  37. Wang SJ, Middleton B, Prosser LA, Bardon CG, Spurr CD, Carchidi PJ, Kittler AF, Goldszer RC, Fairchild DG, Sussman AJ, Kuperman GJ, Bates DW (2003) A cost-benefit analysis of electronic medical records in primary care. Am J Med 5(114): 397–403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Gans D, Kralewski J, Hammons T, Dowd B (2005) Medical groups’ adoption of electronic health records and information systems. Health Aff 5(24): 1323–1333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Miller RH, Sim I (2004) Physicians’ use of electronic medical records: barriers and solutions. Health Aff 2(23): 116–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Silberzahn N (1997) Le dossier medical informatise : modelisation et consultation. Ph.D. Thesis, Faculte de medecine, Universite de Caen, France, December 1997

  41. Mougin Y (2004) La cartographie des processus: maitriser les interfaces, La methode de la voix du client, 2eme edn, editions d’organisation. ISBN: 2-7081-3106-0

  42. Gagon-Argion L, Vien H Typologie des documents des organisation: de la creation a la conservation, Presses de l’Universite du Quebec. ISBN: 2-7605-0943-5

  43. Shapiro JS, Bakken S, Hyun S, Melton GB, Schlegel C, Johnson SB (2005) Document ontology: supporting narrative documents in electronic health records, In: Proceedings of AMIA annual symposium, pp 684–688

  44. Canada Health Infoway- Inforoute Sante Canada (2008) http://www.infoway-inforoute.ca/

  45. Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms, The International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization (IHTSDO) 2008. http://www.ihtsdo.org/

  46. Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (2008) http://loinc.org/

  47. Health Level Seven (2008) http://www.hl7.org/

  48. Logical view of message model PRPM_MT303010CA—Update Provider (2008) Direction adjointe a l’architecture et aux orientations technologiques (DAAOT), The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), Quebec, Canada

  49. SILVERRUN Modeling Tools, Grandite (2008) http://www.modelsphere.com/

  50. Schulte RW, Natis YV (1996) Service-oriented architectures, Gartner Research Report, Part 1, SPA-401-068

  51. Bonnet P, Detavernier J-M, Vauquier D Le syteme d’information durable: la refonte progressive du SI avec SOA, Editions Hermes-Science. ISBN:978-2-7462-1829-1

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sehl Mellouli.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pascot, D., Bouslama, F. & Mellouli, S. Architecturing large integrated complex information systems: an application to healthcare. Knowl Inf Syst 27, 115–140 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10115-010-0292-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10115-010-0292-1

Keywords

Navigation