Title: Applying value-sensitive design and quality function deployment to healthcare ICT: the case of Dutch primary care unit dossiers

Authors: Luuk P.A. Simons, W. Pieter Verhagen

Addresses: Delft University of Technology, PO Box 5015, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands. ' TNO Information and Communication Technology, P.O. Box 5050, 2600 GB Delft, The Netherlands

Abstract: This paper aims to combine the Value Sensitive Design approach with more formalised QFD (Quality Function Deployment) methods for requirements engineering. As a case illustration we use a regional Dutch Electronic Out-of hours Record pilot, which is part of a nationwide roadmap towards Electronic Health Records. The combined approach aims at early phase requirements engineering and provides a high level situation analysis before proceeding to more solution oriented phases. We combine stakeholder analysis, value scenarios, QFD for multiple stakeholders and a consideration of systemic effects. The case illustrates several limits of existing approaches, pointing to an important and challenging area for future research. Advantages of the combined approach are: user centeredness, increased design decision transparency, considering not only service concepts and service processes but also systemic effects, combining moral exploration (VSD) with prioritisation and decisioning (QFD) and making innovation decisions more |future-proof| by considering longer time horizons.

Keywords: design methods; design research; early requirements engineering; EHR; electronic health records; EOR; electronic out-of-hours records; healthcare ICT; QFD; quality function deployment; service design; value-sensitive design; The Netherlands; primary care units; information technology; healthcare technology.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2008.020853

Journal of Design Research, 2008 Vol.7 No.2, pp.155 - 176

Published online: 17 Oct 2008 *

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