Written in particular for practitioners and students of health services planning and management, this text focuses on a critical area for management - enhancing the decision making process. It introduces computer-based decision support systems, showing how such systems can enhance decision making in the health service by promoting careful analysis, considered judgement and the ability to explain the basis on which decisions are made. Case studies of the development and use of these systems are provided.

Author Biography

Steve Cropper is Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Health Planning and Management, Keele University. Previously he was Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Management Science, Strathclyde University. He is Director of the MBA (Health Executive) and also teaches on management programmes for doctors and clinical managers. His research is into aspects of organizational performance, including inter-organizational collaboration, strategic management, doctors in management and decision support. Paul Forte has a part-time appointment as lecturer in the Centre for Health Planning and Management, Keele University, and is an independent health planning and management consultant. Previously he was six years with the Department of Health Operational Research Service, and four years in health services research at the University of Leeds. His research and project work has had a focus on decision support systems development and application throughout this period.