Justify your use of ICT to create your system for the Health Centre.
Using ICT makes producing the presentation much easier. It is also much easier to store and modify. The presentation looks much more professional when done on the computer. When using the computer to carry out tasks, it is normally reasonably quick, and the original presentation could probably have been produced with one or two days work.
What are the benefits & drawbacks of your system to people who will use it?
Drawbacks - Some people are not familiar with new technology and computers and may not be able to use it effectively. Also customers might not feel comfortable with using a touch-screen computer system and might be unsure how to use it without proper instructions. Also people who have sight problems may mean that they could not see the screen easily. If the screen was put outside the sun may glare down at the screen, reflect and then cause the screen to be unreadable. If a not very sensitive touch-screen was bought then people who do not press the screen very hard may not get a good response from the computer. Also if the screen was outside it could become weathered if in an unsheltered area and could be ruined. The computer system may need editing on a yearly basis and this could end up being expensive. And updating it means that regular people would have to learn how to use it again which could lead to confusion. Also, people who are house-bound, and receive home visits, would not be able to access the system, so a hard-copy should also be available for their reference.
Benefits – If a computer system needs editing or changing for any reason, it can easily be done via a connected Windows computer. This is helpful because if it does need editing, the whole thing does have to be remade or printed in large scale. Also, once the system is up and running, and clear and easy instructions are displayed, most people would be capable of using it. Also, it means that it is more long lasting because paper would get damaged easily but a computer screen under a cover would be less likely to get damaged. It will mean that the customers would always know where to go if they needed help regarding the health centre, which is more efficient.
How will the use of ICT affect the way staff work?
Using ICT will affect the way that staff work in Beacon Health Centre dramatically. Doing patients records by hand would be very time consuming for them, meaning that not much time is spent on helping customers, but most of the time is spent on administrative tasks. That would mean hiring more employees, meaning more capital spent on human resources. Also, any information that is put onto the computer can easily be altered or changed for example if anyone moved house, the address could be easily altered. If doing that by hand, it could make it very messy and after a number of changes the file cover would have to be completely re-done.
Staff may not like the new technological way or working, and may realise that the Health Centre is not the right atmosphere to work in, which may lead to a high turnover of staff soon after the changes are introduced.
The receptionist would also have more time to spend on doing actual important tasks, rather than just answering questions from customers who have basic queries, like asking the opening times.
What training will be required to enable new staff (or those not computer literate) to use your system?
Staff would need to be trained effectively how to use a computer if need be, and the specific programs would also need to be explained. They would need to be taught: the basic workings of how to use a computer, how to open Microsoft PowerPoint, how to view the presentation and how they could edit the presentation. This is needed because it means all staff members will be computer-literate and if anything needs to be changed, a specific person does not have to be found to fix the problem. This training could be carried out by either sending the employees on an ICT course, or by giving them a copy of the User Guide which I have created. All instructions would need to be followed carefully by the learners, to allow them to gain these skills.