Resumen
This article examines an innovative information system developed recently to share patient health care information among several competing hospitals in the greater Dayton, Ohio area. Authors of this article had the opportunity to observe the development of this system, to interact extensively with three different user/developer groups and to collect evaluation data from them after the system was put into use. In this article, three general themes emerge. The first theme concerns insights gained from the differing perspectives of various user/developer groups. Based on their own interests and experience, these groups identify different achievements and problems with an existing system and recommend different changes; they also perceive the benefits of an ideal system differently. The second theme focuses on user involvement in system development. The third theme relates to the value, use, and extent of specific types of information. This study has examined a system that supports various interest groups in multiple, competing organizations.