"Technologies help us meet many objectives and goals," said Cheung. "But we must also make sure that the technologies deployed aren't a burden to our staff."

"The ward environment is complicated," he explained. "There could be situations where a system can't get the work done. So modules or applications deployed must be flexible enough to allow staffers to work in different ward situations."

Technologies must also be easy to use, so that busy front-line clinicians can easily integrate them into their workflow, he added.

Besides the plan to add more modules incrementally, the HA is already testing the use of tablets by front-line staffers in wards, according to Cheung.