Risks and requirements of an applied Information Science research framework in healthcare

Abstract

The epistemological discussion on Information Science (IS) has contributed to a better understanding of its object of study, with impact on the growing production of applied IS studies that we have witnessed in recent years, highlighting the need to strengthen interdisciplinarity and IS links to other scientific areas. In order not to be regarded as an applied discipline, depending of a wider scientific area dedicated to the conceptual nature of information and its dynamics, the evolution of IS demands the validation of concepts, theories and research methods in organizational contexts. Although information management (IM) is recognised as strategic to the organization, the lack of a formal organizational IM strategy contributes to a focus of IM decision making in the technological infrastructure aspects. IS scientific acknowledgement and validation depends on the epistemological and theoretical scientific research and on the results of applied research.

This communication proposes the development of an applied IM research framework, based on the quadrupole research method, designed to explore the impact of the IM function in healthcare organizations management. The results focus on the requirements raised during the development of the research proposal, identifying epistemological, theoretical, technical and disclosure aspects that contribute to the study. We consider that the defense of the scientific foundation of IS (object of study, concepts, theories and method) strengthens its interdisciplinary nature and ensures the future recognition of IS contributions in the production of transdisciplinary knowledge.

Keywords:

Information science; information management; research methodology

Risks and requirements of an applied Information Science research framework in healthcare

Introduction

In 2005, Tom Wilson decided to provoke his students by stating: “not everything that has science in its name is, in fact, science”. This happened in a class in the information management masters of the Faculty of Engineering of Porto and Wilson’s statement was a reaction against another discussion on the Information Science scientific status. In class, mainly attended by engineers focussed on technological issues, the discussion was specially familiar to those who had an archives and librarianship post graduate degree and had already noticed that the documentary sciences techniques were being replaced by theoretical and epistemological concerns.

The epistemological discussion concerning the theoretical reflexion on Information Science (IS) has contributed to a better understanding of its object of study, with impact on the scientific production and the increase of superior studies on IS. The contribute of authors like Silva & Ribeiro (2012) and Capurro (2003) allowed the identification of paradigmatic transition processes, focussing on the scientific requirements on IS studies, strengthening the IS scientific status.

The growing production of applied IS studies that we have witnessed in recent years has highlighted the need to adopt an interdisciplinary view and to incorporate in IS research coming from computer science, substantiated in the expansion of Information Schools (ISchools, 2017), as well as the connection to other scientific areas like communication and management. The fact that IS has evolved from the dialog between the archival and librarianship areas and the information systems area leads to a need of reflection and questioning concerning the impact of the connection between scientific and professional components of IS.

In this context, it is legitimate to question whether the focus on scientific requirements on IS studies can be compatible with the development of national information policies and guidelines, in which libraries and archives should play a significant part, in an area marked by technique and know-how. Furthermore, it is important to reflect whether it is strategic for IS to have a scientific component, independent of its application, and an applied component of service and product development, as stated by Borko (1968)?

Due to the complexity of information systems, the dinamization of Information Society have enlightened the interaction between the production, storage and reuse of information, leading to a need of reinforcement of the connections between various knowledge areas. The need for epistemological production in IS, supporting scientific statue for IS, results from the fact that multidisciplinary nature of IS contributes to a lack of focus of the scientific production.

The focus of IS in the scientific paradigm based on epistemological reflexion may, in fact, lead to weaken a multidisciplinary approach, instead of reinforcing interdisciplinarity, and contribute to discourage information professional from pursuing applied research studies in IS. In order not to be regarded as an applied discipline, integrated in a more vast scientific area dedicated to the conceptual nature of information and its dynamics, the evolution of IS demands the validation of concepts, theories and research methods in organizational contexts. In this sense, the contribution of the epistemological reflection contribute to the conduction of applied research studies in IS, narrowing the link between theory and practice, and a reflection on concepts, theories and methodologies that can be applied, as well as how the interdisciplinary contributions are to be explored in the context of IS research.

It is legitimate to question why applied IS research should require specific effort on planning phase, since there are various scientific approaches and methods already validated and used in other areas that may be used in IS research. Why is it worth the effort? Currently, the issue is not on the number of research studies produced but in the identification of these studies with IS as a scientific area and the impact and results of these studies on organizational contexts.

Implementing results of information management (IM) studies conducted in organizations demands systemic organizational changes, involving socio-cultural and socio-economical aspects that constitute barriers to strengthen the IM function. In organizational context, although IM is recognised as strategic and information resources seen as critical to the organization, the lack of a formal organizational IM strategy contributes to a focus of IM decision making in the technological infrastructure aspects, referring other IM aspects to an operational management level. As a result, many IM research studies in organizational context end up contributing to the misalignment between the support infrastructure for the production and use of clinical records and work processes. Since scientific acknowledgement and validation of IS depends, not only on the epistemological and theoretical scientific research but also, on the results of applied research in IS researchers must invest on the development of robust and solid research frameworks, identifying the contributions of IS and its predecessor areas, as well as of other multidisciplinary contributions, in order to strengthen its scientific position.

In order to explore the impact of IM function in healthcare organizations management we developed an applied IM research framework, based on the quadrupole research method, identifying critical steps on the development of applied Information Science research. Considering that the foundation of IS (object of study, concepts, theories and and method) contribute to strengthen the interdisciplinary nature of IS research, minimizing the risk of loss of IS identity, and ensuring the future recognition of IS contributions in the production of knowledge transdisciplinary, the results of the presentation focus on the requirements posed during the development of the research proposal, identifying epistemological, theoretical, technical and disclosure aspects that are recognized as a contribution to the the study.

Note: Figure 1 represents the research framework, based on the quadripolar methodology as a research methodology, developed the research proposal which is being conducted in São João Hospital Center.

Conclusions

The focus of IS research is not limited or exhaustive with the characterization of information as an object of study or the distinction between data, information and and knowledge. In order to strengthen IS itself, it is essential to explore and discuss the concepts and theories with respect to the information contexts focusing on the dynamic dimension of information, i.e. in the (re)use of information, benefiting from synergies with other research areas. Although the requirements of this approach are promoted by universities in the conduction of IS scientific studies, their promotion should not be separated from the professional exercise, contributing to the reflection and updating of what should be the core competencies of IS professionals and strengthening the scientific identity of the IS.

Bibliographic references

Capurro, R. (2003). Epistemologia e Ciência da Informação. In V Encontro Nacional de Pesquisa em Ciência da Informação, number Munich 1978 pages 1–22.

Floridi, L. (2002). On defining library and information science as applied philosophy of information. Social Epistemology, 16(1):37–49. doi: 10.1080/02691720210132789.

Silva, A. M., Ribeiro, F., Ramos, J., e Real, M. (1998). Arquivı́stica - Teoria e prática de uma ciência da informação. Porto: Edições Afrontamento

Silva, A. M. e Ribeiro, F. (2002). Das Ciências Documentais à Ciência da Informação. Porto: Edições Afrontamento.

Silva, A. M. e Ribeiro, F. (2012). Documentation/Information and Their Paradigms: Characterization and Importance in Research, Education, and Professional Practice. Knowledge organization, 39(2).