When describing an information system, it can help to look at the following typical components of information systems: enterprise functions, business processes, application components, and physical data processing systems. An enterprise function describes what acting human or machines have to do in a certain enterprise to contribute to its mission and goals. For example, patient admission, medical and nursing care planning, or financial accounting describe typical enterprise functions. Enterprise functions are ongoing and continuous. They describe what is to be done, not how it is done. Enterprise functions can be structured into a hierarchy of enterprise functions, where an enterprise function can be described in more detail by refined sub-functions.
Enterprise functions are usually denoted by nouns or gerunds (i.e., words ending with -ing). The actions summarized by an enterprise function are in most cases significantly dealing with information processing. Later on we will focus more strictly on this aspect and therefore restrict to information processing enterprise functions . For the sake of simplicity, we will refer to enterprise functions as hospital functions, if the respective enterprise is a hospital. An activity is an instantiation of an enterprise function. For example, “the physician admits the patient Smith” is an activity of the enterprise function patient admission. In contrast to enterprise functions, activities have a definite beginning and end. To describe how an enterprise function is performed, not only may information about its refined sub-functions be needed, but information about their chronological and logical sequence may also be needed. With business processes, the sequence of (sub-)functions together with the conditions under which they are performed can be described. Business processes are usually denoted by verbs, which can be followed by a noun (e.g., “admitting a patient,” “planning care” or “writing a discharge letter”). Process instances are composed of the individual activities; hence they also have a definite beginning and end. While enterprise functions concentrate on the “what,” business processes focus on the “how” of activities. Enterprise functions can be considered as representatives of business processes. Whereas enterprise functions describe what is done, we now want to consider tools for processing data, in particular application components and physical data processing systems. Both are usually referred to as information processing tools. They describe the means used for information processing. Application components support enterprise functions. We distinguish computer-based from non-computer-based application components. Computer-based application components are controlled by software products. A software product is an acquired or self-developed.piece of software that can be installed on a computer system. For example, the computerbased application component patient administration system stands for the installation of a software product to support enterprise functions such as patient admission and administrative discharge and billing. Non-computer-based application components are controlled by working plans that describe how people use certain physical data processing systems. For example, a noncomputer- based application component called nursing management and documentation
system is controlled by rules regarding how, by whom, and in which context given forms for nursing documentation have to be used. In this example, the paper-based forms that are used represent physical data processing systems . Communication and cooperation among application components must be organized in
such a way that the enterprise functions are adequately supported. Physical data processing systems, finally, describe the information processing tools that are used to implement computer-based as well as non-computer-based application components. Physical data processing systems can be human actors (such as the person delivering mail), non-computer-based physical tools such as forms for nursing documentation,
paper- based patient records or telephones, or computer systems (such as terminals, servers, and personal computers). Computer systems can be physically connected via data wires, leading to physical networks systems. The printer, for example, could contribute in the implementation of the application component medical documentation system by printing documentation forms.
Source
Health Information Systems, Architectures and Strategies, Second Edition
With a Foreword by Reed M. Gardner
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