ABSTRACT
Health Information Management (HIM) profession is recognized as an essential specialty area by a considerable amount of published works of literature that discuss the issues related to the topic and highlights the impact and contribution of information technology to the healthcare service.
Although there have been extensive research studies conducted on HIM, very few have been published in Oman, where a new vision has led to increased amounts of investments in health information technology and changing the healthcare services landscape. The question of understanding the status of HIM within the HIS practice and the professional status of the HIM group in the Ministry of Health is required to be answered as a crucial step to address the problems claimed by the group in the current healthcare system.
Furthermore, the study requires describing the variables that affect the contents, and control of the works and identifying the relationship between their works within the electronic system. Two qualitative research approaches were used focus group discussions with HIM supervisors, and administrators and in-depth face-to-face interviews with key informants and experts from the health system. In addition, the researcher was provided with reports about the structure and future plans of the organization.
The study used the professionalization framework (Abbot’s framework) to analyze the data. The main findings demonstrate that the Health Information Management (HIM) group has main professional responsibilities within the Ministry of Health system; however, the group struggles to be recognized due to organizational and cultural challenges, and interacts with professional groups that control jurisdictions. Thus, the top management requires making efforts to facilitate and address the challenges faced by healthcare services and benefit the health system and ensure sustainable development.
