Difference between revisions of "Health Informatics"
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Electronic Medical Records are a virtual documentation of all a patient’s medical history, particularly at a specific location. Generally, the records are isolated to the location in which they are created: the hospital, private practice, or clinic. Electronic medical records offer an advantage internally, as they allow for all records to be chronicled uniformly in one location. Doctors in different departments have access to the same information in real time. | Electronic Medical Records are a virtual documentation of all a patient’s medical history, particularly at a specific location. Generally, the records are isolated to the location in which they are created: the hospital, private practice, or clinic. Electronic medical records offer an advantage internally, as they allow for all records to be chronicled uniformly in one location. Doctors in different departments have access to the same information in real time. | ||
===Clinical Improvements=== | ===Clinical Improvements=== | ||
| − | In order to test theories within hospitals and patient care, models can be well applied and then their progress analyzed through health informatics | + | In order to test theories within hospitals and patient care, models can be well applied and then their progress analyzed through health informatics. As more information is gathered for research, the skills needed to analyze the data increases in difficulty. Health informatics allows researchers to more efficiently and effectively perform data analysis. |
===Physician Training=== | ===Physician Training=== | ||
| + | Similar to clinical improvements, medical education is approached differently across nations and the world; thus, research done on the effectiveness of different methods allows for the best teaching methods to be used. In addition, new technologies, such as simulation, give students more realistic ways to practice. When studying anything across the health field, health informatics allows the theories to be studied, analyzed, and executed with greater precision. | ||
===Physician/Patient Communication=== | ===Physician/Patient Communication=== | ||
| + | As patient’s reliance on online resources for health increases, hospital, and other health care networks, have answered the demand with online resources such as | ||
===Research Informatics=== | ===Research Informatics=== | ||
==Education== | ==Education== | ||
| − | + | The health informatics field is mostly integrated into the education system at the graduate school level. At the University of Michigan, the degree program is facilitated by both the School of Information and the School of Public Health, thus emphasizing the | |
==Ethical Issues== | ==Ethical Issues== | ||
| − | One of the greatest issues facing health informatics is that of privacy. With electronic medical records, a patient’s entire health history, and very private information, are accessible to a skillful hacker. | + | One of the greatest issues facing health informatics is that of privacy. With electronic medical records, a patient’s entire health history, and very private information, are accessible to a skillful hacker. |
| + | ===The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996=== | ||
| + | The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was put in place in order to clearly state a patient’s privacy and security rights. | ||
Revision as of 23:35, 12 October 2012
Health Informatics is an interdisciplinary field combining information science and health care to create and execute policies, technologies, and guidelines based on the analysis of information across health fields.
Contents
Applications
Electronic Medical Records
Electronic Medical Records are a virtual documentation of all a patient’s medical history, particularly at a specific location. Generally, the records are isolated to the location in which they are created: the hospital, private practice, or clinic. Electronic medical records offer an advantage internally, as they allow for all records to be chronicled uniformly in one location. Doctors in different departments have access to the same information in real time.
Clinical Improvements
In order to test theories within hospitals and patient care, models can be well applied and then their progress analyzed through health informatics. As more information is gathered for research, the skills needed to analyze the data increases in difficulty. Health informatics allows researchers to more efficiently and effectively perform data analysis.
Physician Training
Similar to clinical improvements, medical education is approached differently across nations and the world; thus, research done on the effectiveness of different methods allows for the best teaching methods to be used. In addition, new technologies, such as simulation, give students more realistic ways to practice. When studying anything across the health field, health informatics allows the theories to be studied, analyzed, and executed with greater precision.
Physician/Patient Communication
As patient’s reliance on online resources for health increases, hospital, and other health care networks, have answered the demand with online resources such as
Research Informatics
Education
The health informatics field is mostly integrated into the education system at the graduate school level. At the University of Michigan, the degree program is facilitated by both the School of Information and the School of Public Health, thus emphasizing the
Ethical Issues
One of the greatest issues facing health informatics is that of privacy. With electronic medical records, a patient’s entire health history, and very private information, are accessible to a skillful hacker.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was put in place in order to clearly state a patient’s privacy and security rights.
