Data governance should be viewed as a partnership with all the different stakeholders. The data governance team should be led by business leaders but with everyone’s input involved. This structure helps in creating centralized oversight, prioritizing key clinical data, and planning with physicians (Hoppszallern, 2015). Everyone should be involved including IT and patients.
The utility of data is for the enterprise as a whole and not strictly IT. Ultimately, it is the business leaders who decide on the utility of the data being collected. IT should be charged with smoothing out data processes by making sure that they are repeatable and scalable (Intricity, 2014). ITs’ input is important but they should have a limited role in how the data is used for the organization as a whole.
Although data governance should be led by the business leaders, patients should also have input since they provide much of the data. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) can provide insight from the patient without having been filtered by a physician (Ciani & Federici 2020). The reports can provide value on the overall health of the patient as well as any symptoms they may have. The information can be in the form of a survey to help assess the patient’s condition. Patients should know how their data is used and should be able to express any privacy concerns they may have.
Overall, data is just one aspect of the success of an organization. It’s easy to get caught up wanting the latest and greatest analytics software and tools (InfowayInforoute, 2017). Getting caught up can create undue financial strain and stress for an organization. It’s always best to work backwards and think about the goal that the organization is trying to achieve then think about how to implement it rather than reacting to the newest trends.
References
Ciani, O., & Federici, C. (2020). Value Lies in the Eye of the Patients: The Why, What, and How of Patient-reported Outcomes Measures. Clinical Therapeutics, 42(1), 25–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2019.11.016
Hoppszallern, S. (2015). Governance strategies can determine success of IT projects. Hospitals & Health Networks, 89(4), 20-20.
InfowayInforoute. (2017, November 27). Addressing the Big Questions: Data Governance, Privacy, and Cybersecurity in Health IT [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/sCpTdjY3NWo
Intricity. (2014, July 1). What is Data Governance? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/sHPY8zIhy60