Health informatics
Health informatics is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the use of technology to enhance the planning, management, and delivery of health care services. It encompasses the gathering, sharing, and application of medical information, which has evolved significantly since its inception over fifty years ago. Initially rooted in the efforts of pioneers like Gustav Wagner and Homer R. Warner, the field has grown with advances in computer technology and data standards, leading to innovations like electronic health records that streamline patient data management and improve care delivery.
Health informatics includes various specialized areas such as bioinformatics, public health informatics, and clinical informatics, addressing both individual patient needs and broader population health issues. The shift from paper-based records to digital systems has allowed for more efficient data analysis and has helped health care professionals identify effective treatments and recognize health trends. However, the integration of technology also raises vital concerns about patient privacy and data security, prompting legislation like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to protect patient information.
As the demand for skilled professionals in health informatics increases, this field is anticipated to play a crucial role in shaping future health care reforms globally, making it an essential topic for anyone interested in the intersection of health care and technology.
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Health informatics
Health informatics is a multi-field study of health care that uses technological resources to develop innovations in the planning, management, and delivery of health care. Health informatics is not the technology itself but the ways in which technology is used to gather, share, and apply information to the entire health care process. The field has existed for more than fifty years. It is growing in importance and is expected to become an essential part the health care landscape and any efforts at health care reform in the future.
Background
Health informatics has its origins in 1949. At that time, German scientist Gustav Wagner started a professional organization for those who worked with health care information. Wagner went on to edit a journal that dealt with health care information.
In the 1960s, computer technology became sophisticated enough and widely available enough to be used consistently for health care information. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) established the first standards for using the technology. These standards included rules for the parameters of the systems used for health information, guidelines for the types of data to be included, security requirements, and protocols for communication among laboratories. One of the earliest databases for medical information was Medline, which began in 1965. Medline was eventually updated to include information from the 1950s and has become a trusted and widely used source of information about medical information.
During the 1950s and 1960s, cardiologist Homer R. Warner became interested in the potential for computers to improve health care. He helped pioneer systems that were used to monitor cardiac patients in hospital intensive care units and other equipment used in clinical settings. After observing a nurse having difficulty interpreting what a variety of flashing lights on one piece of equipment meant for the patient's condition, Warner wrote a new software program. Called the Health Evaluation through Logical Processing (HELP) program, it sorted the available data on a patient by importance to help the health care provider better prioritize care for the patient. Warner also established a department of medical informatics at the University of Utah, one of the first and largest educational sites for health informatics.
The 1970s was an important decade for the growth of health informatics. The work of Warner and other pioneers in the field coupled with rapidly improving technology led to the development of electronic health records. These records included computerized copies of patients' medical information in a standardized format. They made it easier for a patient and his or her physicians to access the patient's information. They allowed physicians to deliver better care faster and eliminated duplication of tests and procedures. Health informatics at this time was used to help keep track of diagnoses, admissions and discharges, and billing. In 1978, the term bioinformatics was first used to describe the gathering and study of information related to the health of certain populations or people in general rather than a single individual.
The development of the Internet and improvements to computerized technology continued to propel the growth of health informatics. These developments included the increased availability of mobile technology that allowed medical professionals to access electronic data while caring for patients. This became known as mHealth. New methods and equipment have enabled medical professionals in many areas of health care to gather information that allows them to care for individual patients, track diseases, and follow developing trends in overall health. In the 1990s, the American Medical Informatics Association was formed to help educate health care professionals on the use of technology to supplement and improve health care.
Overview
Health informatics is an overall term for a field that includes the gathering, measurement, analysis, compiling, storage, and application of data across a range of medical fields. It also is known as medical informatics or clinical informatics. It includes bioinformatics, or the gathering, studying, and sharing of biological information relevant to groups of people, such as DNA sequencing. Public health informatics addresses issues that affect the population of a specific geographic area, including the presence and spread of diseases and other issues that affect community health. In addition to medical health, health informatics can apply to information related specifically to nursing, pharmacy, dental health, and veterinary health.
Prior to the development of health informatics systems, all health care records were kept on paper. Physicians' notes were handwritten, as were all prescriptions and orders for tests and procedures. Bills were typed up individually, with health care staff often laboriously looking up the amounts to be billed for each procedure. If multiple physicians saw one patient, paper records had to be passed between physicians, or physicians had to rely on information shared verbally by the patient or another health care provider. This system was cumbersome and time-consuming. It required additional staff, was prone to error, and could result in the duplication of services.
The development of health informatics allowed medical professionals not only to gather all this information in a convenient and easy-to-understand format but also to analyze the information more readily. As a result, health professionals were able to identify treatments that worked better or did not work, recognize trends in the development of illnesses and health conditions, and create guidelines for better delivery of health care. Health informatics provides a vast pool of information for researchers to study to help develop new ways to treat illnesses.
The increased use of technology to gather and share large amounts of health care information was very helpful but also brought concerns of privacy and security. In 1996, US president Bill Clinton signed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which, among other things, protected patients' right to privacy and control over how their health information was shared. New technology is anticipated that will allow patients even greater control over their health information.
The field of health informatics continues to grow in the twenty-first century. Experts anticipate that people skilled at developing systems to gather and analyze health care data and those who can conduct analyses, disseminate information, and develop ways to use it will be in greater demand as the century progresses. Health informatics is expected to play a key role in any reform of health care in the United States and around the world.
Bibliography
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