Data governance in healthcare information systems : a systematic literature review

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate data governance relative to challenges associated with healthcare information systems, by reviewing guidelines emerging from academic sources as part of a consolidated systematic literature review. The study adopted a systematic literature review to collect and analyze data regarding the aim of the study. A combination of keywords on web search engines was used to obtain relevant research studies. The books, conference papers, journal articles and theses recognized as relevant to conduct the study, summed to 46 studies. The researcher conducted the study over the period 2010–2020. The outcome of the data analysis reflects that a larger number of studies focused on healthcare information systems (14 papers), followed by data governance (12 papers), performance strategy (6 papers), competitive advantage (5 papers), data governance contingency model (4 papers), and process harmonization (5 papers). The study shows that there is limited evidence concerning the findings on healthcare information systems (HIS) success and DG in South Africa, since data governance is still in its infancy. Healthcare has ultimately changed through political, social and technological factors. However, various organizations see data governance as a promising method of maintaining its value as an organization asset and of ensuring data quality. This study contributed theoretically towards the body of knowledge, by reviewing challenges and guidelines relating to data governance within the healthcare environment. It contributed practically to the body of knowledge through understanding the healthcare information’s systems status. It also contributed methodologically and significantly to systematic literature review strategies. The study created an opportunity for future research to propose an extended version of the data governance contingency model, and to implement and evaluate the model within a South African context.