Importance Of Improvement Of Healthcare System
The efficient service and care received by many patients at their local GPs and Accidents and Emergencies in modern times is in no doubt down to the accurate and quick retrieval of their medical records across several platforms. While this may be one of the many aspects of the applications of computer science, information and technology to healthcare, it has become a vital part of adequate service provision to patients. Health Informatics is defined by Anthony Madden a former Anaesthetic consultant, as “The knowledge, skills and tools which enable information to be collected, managed, used and shared, to support the delivery of healthcare and to promote health” (Madden, December 2010) and therefore it is believed that where people, health and information interact; an efficient and enhanced health service is the outcome.
Information Accuracy
Health informatics has become the driving force of healthcare sector that allows an efficient way of storing and recovering information (Nur Zakiah Sidek, 2009). It is not difficult to see that this is a much better and ideal way than trying to remember the details of existing medications and allergies for a patient, where there are multitudes or a scenario where a confused patient is provides improper or half-finished information which can lead to an adverse effect. Therefore, having such accurate information provided at the point where it is needed is absolutely essential.
Patient Participation
Liz Kendall acknowledged high quality care which has patients as it focal point is that which is safe and effective, stimulates health and wellbeing, is integrated and seamless, is enlightening but also vesting and is timely as well as convenient (Kendall Liz, 2003). The connotation of patient-centred data in the health sector is colossal and impactful such that it plays a fundamental role in the administration of patient’s care journey. The focus on this information and technology allows for better patient participation and therefore active engagement in individual care plans. The more patients become involved, the more knowledgeable they become about their own health and take proactive ownership. Knowledge after all, empowers and in case of healthcare, it is no different.
Managed Workflow
Where unified real-time electronic patient records are implemented, it helps to ensure that clinicians deliver quick and better diagnosis with minimal medical guesses and/or errors. The sharing of healthcare information and knowledge among clinicians allows for wider professional deliberation with colleagues, managed work-flows, informed interactions with patients, and time efficient service.
Automated Activities and Processes
One of the other benefits of using electronic systems is the potential for automating undertakings and processes as well as streamlining medical workflow. Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) are a good example of how information systems can transform working practices. Radiology departments have typically used the wet film process to produce X-rays. With PACS, the route of generating the X-ray image becomes completely digital with the image being essentially a digital photograph, the film being replaced by a digital plate or sensor that records the X-ray image. Films no longer need to be developed and images are available almost immediately to the clinician who requested the investigation (Hosker, 2007)
Advancement in Public health
On a much wider scale in public health, S. Fan, C. Blair, A. Brown, S. Gabos, L. Honish, T. Hughes, et al explained that the use of automated systems, such as real-time outbreak detection systems, allows for the real time, daily detection, analysis and dissemination of outbreak information to the targeted populations and agencies. The use of a geographic information system, such as HealthMap, has further improved the identification, monitoring, alerting and responding to emerging diseases, pandemics, bioterrorism and natural disasters, not only at the national but at the global level (S. Fan, Nov-Dec 2010) Therefore, health informatics is not only beneficial on one level but across all thinkable spectrums of societal living.
It is worth noting that the application of health informatics brings about doubts in the personalisation of patient care since so much reliance is on the information held on any particular patient but also, it can serve as a barrier to patient-doctor relationship. It is understandable that “one criticism of approaching patient care through information and technology is that care is becoming less and less personal. Instead of a doctor getting to know a patient in real time and space in order to best offer care, the job of “knowing” is placed on data and algorithms.” (HIT Consultant, 2016), however, this must not be seen as a challenge or hindrance to the introduction or implementation of health informatics but as an anchor to which healthcare continues to be delivered in an efficient manner. Moreover, human to human interaction is an absolute need for effective care to be given from consultation to diagnosis and after-care.
While informatics can facilitate the availability of important data, information technology can also increase bureaucracy, contribute to dehumanization, and hinder doctor-patient relationships (Snyder, 2011). Hartzband and Groopman assert that despite medicine’s history of embracing technological innovation, nothing has impacted medical practice, and the relationship between patients and healthcare providers as much as the Internet. (Hartzband P, 2010).
