A Classification Analysis of the Success of Open Source Health Information Technology Projects

As the number of open source software (OSS) projects in healthcare grows rapidly, researchers are faced with the challenge of understanding and explaining the success of the open source phenomenon. This article proposes a research framework that examines the roles of project sponsorship, license type, development status and technological complements in the success of open source health information technology (HIT) projects and it develops a systematic method for classifying projects based on their success potential. Drawing from economic theory, a novel proposition in the authors’ framework suggests that higher project-license restrictiveness will increase OSS adoption, because organizations will be more confident that the OSS project will remain open source in the future. Applying the framework to a sample of open source software projects in healthcare, the authors find that although project sponsorship and license restrictiveness influence project metrics, they are not significant predictors of project success categorization. On the other hand, development status, operating system and programming language are significant predictors of an OSS project’s success categorization. Application implications and future research directions are discussed.

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Open Source Health Information Technology Projects

Computer Engineering ◽

10.4018/978-1-61350-456-7.ch111 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 168-185

Author(s):

Evangelos Katsamakas ◽

Balaji Janamanchi ◽

Wullianallur Raghupathi ◽

Wei Gao

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Open Source ◽

Health Information Technology ◽

Health Information ◽

Open Source Software ◽

Future Research ◽

Software Projects ◽

Development Status ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Using Data

This chapter discusses the growth of open source software projects in healthcare. It proposes a research framework that examines the roles of project sponsorship, license type, development status and technological complements in the success of open source health information technology (HIT) projects, and it develops a systematic method for classifying projects based on their success potential. Using data from Sourceforge, an open source software development portal, we find that although project sponsorship and license restrictiveness influence project metrics, they are not significant predictors of project success categorization. On the other hand, development status, operating system, and programming language are significant predictors of an OSS project’s success categorization. We discuss research and application implications and suggest future research directions.

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Open Source Health Information Technology Projects

New Technologies for Advancing Healthcare and Clinical Practices ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-780-7.ch018 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 308-325

Author(s):

Evangelos Katsamakas ◽

Balaji Janamanchi ◽

Wullianallur Raghupathi ◽

Wei Gao

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Open Source ◽

Health Information Technology ◽

Health Information ◽

Open Source Software ◽

Future Research ◽

Software Projects ◽

Development Status ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Using Data

This chapter discusses the growth of open source software projects in healthcare. It proposes a research framework that examines the roles of project sponsorship, license type, development status and technological complements in the success of open source health information technology (HIT) projects, and it develops a systematic method for classifying projects based on their success potential. Using data from Sourceforge, an open source software development portal, we find that although project sponsorship and license restrictiveness influence project metrics, they are not significant predictors of project success categorization. On the other hand, development status, operating system, and programming language are significant predictors of an OSS project’s success categorization. We discuss research and application implications and suggest future research directions.

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The application profiles and development characteristics of library Open Source Software projects

Library Hi Tech ◽

10.1108/lht-09-2013-0127 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 260-275 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Namjoo Choi

Keyword(s):

Open Source ◽

Open Source Software ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Project Success ◽

Future Research ◽

Software Projects ◽

Content Type ◽

Research And Practice ◽

Development Status ◽

Steady Decrease

Purpose – Little is known as to the breadth and diversity of Open Source Software (OSS) applications for libraries and the development characteristics that influence the sustainability and success of projects creating them. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by analyzing a large sample of library OSS projects. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 594 library OSS projects (469 from SourceForge and 125 from Foss4lib) are classified by type and further differentiated and assessed across a number of criteria including, but not limited to, sponsorship status, license type, and development status. Findings – While various types of library OSS applications were found to be under development and in use, the results show that there has been a steady decrease in the number of projects initiated since 2009. Although sponsorship was significantly positively associated with several indicators of OSS project success, the proportion of sponsored projects was relatively small compared to the proportions reported in some other contexts. In total, 71 percent of the projects have a restrictive license scheme, suggesting that the OSS ideology is valued among library OSS projects. The results also indicate that library OSS projects exhibit several characteristics that differ from the traditional developer-oriented OSS projects in terms of their technical environment. Originality/value – This study, as the first of its kind, offers a broader, more quantitative picture of the state of library OSS applications as well as the development characteristics of projects developing them. Several implications for research and practice, and directions for future research are provided.

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Prediction Models and Techniques for Open Source Software Projects

International Journal of Open Source Software and Processes ◽

10.4018/ijossp.2014040101 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 1-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M.M. Mahbubul Syeed ◽

Imed Hammouda ◽

Tarja Systä

Keyword(s):

Open Source ◽

Open Source Software ◽

Prediction Models ◽

Literature Survey ◽

Future Research ◽

Software Projects ◽

Reliable Prediction ◽

Research Directions ◽

Fundamental Knowledge ◽

Future Research Directions

Open Source Software (OSS) is currently a widely adopted approach to developing and distributing software. For effective adoption of OSS, fundamental knowledge of project development is needed. This often calls for reliable prediction models to simulate project evolution and to envision project future. These models provide help in supporting preventive maintenance and building quality software. This paper reports on a systematic literature survey aimed at the identification and structuring of research that offer prediction models and techniques in analyzing OSS projects. In this review, we systematically selected and reviewed 52 peer reviewed articles that were published between January, 2000 and March, 2013. The study outcome provides insight in what constitutes the main contributions of the field, identifies gaps and opportunities, and distills several important future research directions.

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Demography of Open Source Software Prediction Models and Techniques

Research Anthology on Usage and Development of Open Source Software ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-9158-1.ch033 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 620-652

Author(s):

Kaniz Fatema ◽

M. M. Mahbubul Syeed ◽

Imed Hammouda

Keyword(s):

Open Source ◽

Open Source Software ◽

Preventive Maintenance ◽

Prediction Models ◽

Journal Article ◽

Literature Survey ◽

Future Research ◽

Fundamental Knowledge ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Insight Into

Open source software (OSS) is currently a widely adopted approach to developing and distributing software. Many commercial companies are using OSS components as part of their product development. For instance, more than 58% of web servers are using an OSS web server, Apache. For effective adoption of OSS, fundamental knowledge of project development is needed. This often calls for reliable prediction models to simulate project evolution and to envision project future. These models provide help in supporting preventive maintenance and building quality software. This chapter reports on a systematic literature survey aimed at the identification and structuring of research that offers prediction models and techniques in analysing OSS projects. The study outcome provides insight into what constitutes the main contributions of the field, identifies gaps and opportunities, and distils several important future research directions. This chapter extends the authors' earlier journal article and offers the following improvements: broader study period, enhanced discussion, and synthesis of reported results.

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A Survey of the Literature on Unintended Consequences Associated with Health Information Technology: 2014–2015

Yearbook of Medical Informatics ◽

10.15265/iy-2016-036 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 25 (01) ◽

pp. 13-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

J. Abraham ◽

L. L. Novak ◽

T. L. Reynolds ◽

A. Gettinger ◽

K. Zheng

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Time Series ◽

Health Information Technology ◽

Health Information ◽

Unintended Consequences ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Future Research ◽

Health It ◽

Recorded Data ◽

The Impact

SummaryObjective: To summarize recent research on unintended consequences associated with implementation and use of health information technology (health IT). Included in the review are original empirical investigations published in English between 2014 and 2015 that reported unintended effects introduced by adoption of digital interventions. Our analysis focuses on the trends of this steam of research, areas in which unintended consequences have continued to be reported, and common themes that emerge from the findings of these studies.Method: Most of the papers reviewed were retrieved by searching three literature databases: MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL. Two rounds of searches were performed: the first round used more restrictive search terms specific to unintended consequences; the second round lifted the restrictions to include more generic health IT evaluation studies. Each paper was independently screened by at least two authors; differences were resolved through consensus development.Results: The literature search identified 1,538 papers that were potentially relevant; 34 were deemed meeting our inclusion criteria after screening. Studies described in these 34 papers took place in a wide variety of care areas from emergency departments to ophthalmology clinics. Some papers reflected several previously unreported unintended consequences, such as staff attrition and patients’ withholding of information due to privacy and security concerns. A majority of these studies (71%) were quantitative investigations based on analysis of objectively recorded data. Several of them employed longitudinal or time series designs to distinguish between unintended consequences that had only transient impact, versus those that had persisting impact. Most of these unintended consequences resulted in adverse outcomes, even though instances of beneficial impact were also noted. While care areas covered were heterogeneous, over half of the studies were conducted at academic medical centers or teaching hospitals. Conclusion: Recent studies published in the past two years represent significant advancement of unintended consequences research by seeking to include more types of health IT applications and to quantify the impact using objectively recorded data and longitudinal or time series designs. However, more mixed-methods studies are needed to develop deeper insights into the observed unintended adverse outcomes, including their root causes and remedies. We also encourage future research to go beyond the paradigm of simply describing unintended consequences, and to develop and test solutions that can prevent or minimize their impact.

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The Economics of Open Source Software: A Survey of the Early Literature

Review of Network Economics ◽

10.2202/1446-9022.1004 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Aaron Schiff

Keyword(s):

Open Source ◽

Open Source Software ◽

Business Models ◽

Recent Literature ◽

Future Research ◽

Research Directions ◽

Early Literature ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Closed Source

This paper reviews the recent literature on the economics of open source software. Two different sets of issues are addressed. The first looks at the incentives of programmers to participate in open source projects. The second considers the business models used by profit-making firms in the open source industry, and the effects on existing closed source firms. Some possible future research directions are also given.

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Determining Health Information Technology Use by the Transgender Population: A Scoping Review

Proceedings of IMPRS ◽

10.18060/23530 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Albert Liu ◽

Joy Lee ◽

Michael Weiner

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Social Media ◽

Health Information Technology ◽

Health Information ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Technology Use ◽

Future Research ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Transgender People ◽

Online Social Media

Background: Transgender people face many potential barriers in healthcare, such as real or perceived discrimination, inability to pay for healthcare services, and misinformation about transgender health needs. It has been hypothesized that, because of these barriers, transgender people may be more receptive to using health information technology than other populations. The purpose of this scoping review was to understand the ways transgender people use health information technology. Methods: This scoping review included English studies that addressed use of technology by transgender people in health sciences literature. The inclusion criteria was studies that documented transgender technology use and did not include studies that only focused on technology use by healthcare providers. Included studies were sorted into categories based on the type of technology transgender participants used. Results: Twenty-nine articles met the study inclusion criteria from an initial pool of 1,276 articles searched from online databases. Many studies were involved with multiple categories. Fourteen articles addressed websites targeting transgender people, twelve included the usage of online social media sites, seven articles involved transgender usage of online surveys, and four articles discussed transgender usage of smartphones in health management. Conclusion and potential impact: Twenty-two studies focused on the application of interventions through websites and social media sites, nineteen of which concluded that web-based health information or interventions were feasible methods to affect the health of transgender people. Sixteen studies concluded that online interactions were accepted, if not preferred, by their transgender participants. This review suggests that further integration of online interventions and healthcare information into these mediums may increase transgender engagement in healthcare and reduce healthcare barriers. Future research to improve understanding of the outcomes of health information technology on the health of transgender people would be an asset for treating a historically medically underserved community.

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Measuring the Efficiency of Free and Open Source Software Projects Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Emerging Free and Open Source Software Practices ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-210-7.ch002 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 25-46

Author(s):

Stefan Koch

Keyword(s):

Data Envelopment Analysis ◽

Open Source ◽

Optimization Method ◽

Future Research ◽

Data Envelopment ◽

Software Projects ◽

Data Set ◽

Output Factors ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Using Data

In this chapter, we propose for the first time a method to compare the efficiency of free and open source projects, based on the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology. DEA offers several advantages in this context, as it is a non-parametric optimization method without any need for the user to define any relations between different factors or a production function, can account for economies or diseconomies of scale, and is able to deal with multi-input, multi-output systems in which the factors have different scales. Using a data set of 43 large F/OS projects retrieved from SourceForge.net, we demonstrate the application of DEA, and show that DEA indeed is usable for comparing the efficiency of projects. We will also show additional analyses based on the results, exploring whether the inequality in work distribution within the projects, the licensing scheme or the intended audience have an effect on their efficiency. As this is a first attempt at using this method for F/OS projects, several future research directions are possible. These include additional work on determining input and output factors, comparisons within application areas, and comparison to commercial or mixed-mode development projects.

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