New Technology in the Human Services Contents

Recent advances in computer technology have facilitated the development of computerised clinical information systems (CIS) to answer growing demands for accountability and quality assurance in the fields of mental health, social welfare and education. These systems aid and support ongoing monitoring and evaluation of professional practice. Although agencies invest considerable resources in computer hardware, software and staff training, these systems tend to be under-utilised and generally fail to live up to their vast potential. This study identifies, via the concept mapping procedure, 98 variables that form eleven clusters of factors contributing to acceptance and utilisation of clinical information systems in human service organisations. These findings suggest that successful integration of clinical information systems into a human service agency is a difficult outcome to achieve, that requires a long-term commitment to monitoring and intervention in a large number of areas. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed. Riki Savaya works at the Boh Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel and Mark Waysman works at the Center for Evaluation of Human Services Rishon Lezion, Israel. This paper was based on a paper presented at the International Conference on Evaluation of Social Work Practice, Huddersfield, England, 5-7th September 1995.