Public Health Informatics And Its Results Essay

Health information technology (HIT) is revolutionizing the way we interact with health-related data. One example of this is the obvious rise in

E-health can help new health tasks and processes to be undertaken for the first time: things that were simply not possible before. A number of health management and health policy decisions can only be made once e-health enabled health information systems deliver reliable data for the first

In America, on the state, federal and local Public health organizations use informatics widely. Especially the federal government, most of their research is centered on informatics science and digital technology that will have a great influence on public health. Public health informatics has improved public health and public health services offered to Americans over the last two decades in many ways. For instance, upgrades in technology and transformation in how health care is delivered are just to name a few. Computer systems are not as expensive as the use to be and they are quicker than before. In the past, in information system development projects computer hardware was the foremost expensive cost. Opposed to the past, we now have the World Wide Web that includes graphic and universal communication is also enhanced. The development of the enhanced graphics and communication offers a powerful new example for standardized implementation for all information systems. Streamlining is especially easy since the new development of the web application. Updating and upgrading applications can be accessed immediately without the use of the software. With that being said, the developments in today’s informatics system are more easily made possible and better to understand. Still there is so much being worked on and being more improved upon

In 2009, the U.S. Government passed The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (Mangalmurti, Murtagh and Mello 2060). The HITECH Act authorizes grants and incentives to promote the “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHR) by providers (2060). The effect is a high commitment to a technology-led system reform, urging a renewed national commitment to building an information infrastructure to support health care delivery, consumer health, quality measurement and improvement, public accountability, clinical and health services research, and clinical

Advances in modern technology surrounds us in our day to day lives, allowing conveniences and efficiency at our fingertips. Great strides have been made over the years with technology, and the healthcare industry along with many other industries have adopted this new way of functioning; electronically. The effects of technology have come to the forefront in where our government has acknowledged the benefits and opportunities. “The promise of Health Information Technology for improving quality and safety of health care while reducing costs has caught the eye of policy makers and other leaders in health care” (Hersh, 2006). It deeply affects how we connect, interact, and communicate internally and externally, but also gives us a sense of control on how we engage ourselves to the innovative software and systems.

AHIMA recognizes that superior quality health care and clinical data are critical resources needed for effective healthcare, and works to assure that the health information used in care, research, and health management is valid, accurate, complete, trustworthy, and timely. This group is concerned about the effective management of health information from all sources and its application in all forms of healthcare and wellness preservation. Health issues, disease, and care quality also transcend across national borders. AHIMA’s professional interest is in the application of best health information management practices when and wherever they are needed. (The American Health Information Management Association, 2010).

Written by three doctors, who work with Public Health Informatics Institute, this article appears to be intended for medical professionals as well as the general public. The authors suggest that using EHRs in its fullest capacity, could greatly improve general population health in the US. Information such as influenza outbreaks, communicable diseases, and acute infectious gastrointestinal disease are currently reported to the CDC through use of EHRs. Under HITECH meaningful use laws, only syndromic surveillance, laboratory reporting, and registries are currently reported. The article also discusses the stages of meaningful use in depth and how each needs to be achieved in accordance with HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health). It is suggested that in the future, trending information could help isolate incidences of certain problems/diagnoses to certain geographical locations. This can potentially help practitioners in figuring out a source for such

Demographic shifts in the global population, greater levels of technological disruption due to the Internet, social media and the en masse adoption of smartphones and tablet PCs are together re-defining the healthcare informatics market. System and informatics theories have emerged as the foundational elements of healthcare informatics supported by the Data, Information. Knowledge (DIK) Model which acts as a taxonomy for these developments (Haugh, 2005). Systems and informatics theories along with the DIK Model form the ontological foundations of healthcare informatics field of research occurring today and will continue to provide a basis for further research (Braganza, 2004). The intent of this analysis is to evaluate the contributions of systems and informatics, the role of the DIK Model, expert systems in nurse care and medicine, and the use of decision aids and decision support systems. All of these elements are critically important to strategic information systems plans healthcare providers put into place to serve patients while giving healthcare professionals the applications, systems and software they need to excel in their roles (Djellal, Gallouj, 2007).

Their duties include planning the information system, developing the health policy to suit this system and identifying the present and future information requirements. These professionals use informatics to collect, store, use, and transmit information in such a way that the expert, legal, and organizational record keeping needs of the healthcare institutes, are met. They also ensure appropriate collection, management and application of information within the healthcare system for purposes of effective detection of health problems and for identifying inventive solutions to improve health outcomes.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe two health information and communication technologies (HICTs) and how they aid nurses in supporting safe, quality care, facilitating continuity of care and care coordination, and partnering with patients and families to increase participation in health care. HICT involves electronic creation, storage, exchange, and analysis of health information to advance delivery of health care. Widespread use of HICT within the healthcare industry can achieve the following goals: improve healthcare quality and safety, reduce costs and health disparities, enhance clinical research, and ensure security of patient health information (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015). Several examples of HICTs include: electronic medical record systems, electronic prescribing, consumer health applications, and telehealth (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2015). Integration of HICTs in healthcare settings is valuable for all clinicians, but most importantly nurses as they are primary caregivers.

Health informatics is the bridging of computer science, information and the health care field. This interdisciplinary field can be applied to a range of medical fields such as nursing, biomedicine, medicine and subspecialties such as immunology (immunoinformatics). Informatics not only has roles to play in day-to-day areas of immunology such as data storage/retrieval, decision support, standards and electronic health care records but also in research and education such as data mining and simulation systems (Coiera, 2002). Informatics and more specifically, health informatics first started being used in in the late 1950s with the rise of computers (Ho, 2010). Technologies such as computers allowed practitioners and researches

Policy development is accomplished in a number of ways, the most prominent of which is the Joint Public Health Informatics Taskforce (JPHIT). This consortium of nine pubic health associations works to coordinate informatics policy and action in order to improve population health. The Public Health Informatics Institute serves as the Secretariat to JPHIT. In this role, the Public Health Information Institute can support the policy work of the Taskforce in its efforts to bring stakeholders together to define and back major informatics policies and priority activities. An important part of this policy work is the provision of unified and effective advocacy for public health policy issues. These issues may reflect the need for public health reform, directing resources to pubic health informatics practice, and establishment of health information technology policy.

The adoption of health informatics leaves the organization the only option to move forward with its ongoing updates and improvements. With its capability to meet the meaningful use requirements, providing safe, quality, and affordable care, organizations is challenged with the complications of increased cost, system design and interoperability, security and privacy, and retraining end users. To guide the health institution in the sound decision and management of clinical informatics, administrators must consider utilizing the nursing informatics workforce in the health industry: their identity, roles, and needed support.

The profession of health informatics is a relatively new one, blending the use of technologies with collecting, organizing, storing, using, and evaluating health information.

The manuscript seeks to address the importance of the health information in the society. The importance of the health information will be based on the relevance of the news to the individuals and to the society as a whole. The manuscript will evaluate how individuals, the professionals and the organizations use the health information. The author will explore the use of the health information to improve the provision of quality in the health sector and in the social settings in the community. Finally, the manuscript will explore the possible future of the information technology. A conclusion will be made based on the findings of the study.