DefinitionHealth informatics is the science that underlies
the academic investigation and practical
application of computing and communications
technology to healthcare, health education and
biomedical research.
Evolution
1. Health informatics as a discipline has a long and interesting history that would be impossible without Charles Babbage’s ideas about the first analytical computer system way back in the nineteenth century.
2. Even though there was talk about using computers in medicine as technology advanced in the early twentieth century, it was not until the 1950s that informatics really took off in the United States. Robert Ledley, who would later invent the first full body CT scanner, is often credited as one of the founding fathers of U.S. informatics. His use of computers in dental projects with the National Bureau of Standards set the stage for later advancements in applying information technology to medicine.
3. Following the invention of the LISP programming language in the late 1950s and the advance in computing technology and data storage in the 1960s, doctors, graduate students, and computer specialists began working at several different locations to create diagnostic systems and other medical computer programs. The MUMPS programming language created at Massachusetts General Hospital by Pappalardo, Greenes, and Marble from 1966–1967 was also an important step in the growing field of health informatics. MUMPS allowed for the creation and integration of medical databases. It continues to form the basis for many healthcare records programs. The most famous uses of the LISP language would not occur until the 1970s with the development of the computer systems MYCIN and INTERNIST-1.
4. Starting in the 1980s, the U.S. Veterans Administration began using the MUMPS language to develop individual health records for its patients.
5. Today it uses an award-winning program called CPRS (Computerized Patient Record System), a graphic interface that creates a long-term view of a patient’s health record. Its features include a notification system to make users aware of significant clinical events for the patient and a reminder system that works to make sure the right treatments are given at the right time.
Advantages
1. Availability of Informatics
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration web site on Health Information Technology, one of the major advantages of health information technology (HIT) is that it immediately makes your health information to everyone who might need it. If the health care providers in your area use HIT, it means the hospital and your doctor both have access to the same information about you. If you should happen to be in an accident or suddenly become very ill and need immediate treatment in the emergency room, the hospital will be able to see what prescriptions you are taking, if you have diabetes or some other serious condition, or any other health-related information they need. If for any reason you cannot speak for yourself this could save your life.
2. Avoid Duplication
These days it is very common for a person with a serious medical condition to be sent to several different doctors for treatment of the condition and related problems. Because each doctor may order tests to check for certain problems, if they don't have good communication you may end up having the same test more than once, but ordered by different doctors. With health information technology there is much less likelihood that you will have to repeat a test because one of your doctors didn't realize that you had recently had it. One aspect of HIT is that everything is entered into a computer system and all of your doctors can access the same information. A doctor doesn't need to order a CT scan if he can check the computer and see that you had one recently.
3. Costs
When health care information is more organized and there is less duplication of testing and treatments, health care costs are less. Additionally, doctors' offices, hospitals, and clinics gain a major advantage and realize a significant cost savings through the use of health information technology, due to the change in how information is managed. There is no longer any need to keep paper charts, so nobody has to file them. There is also no further need for anyone to do medical transcription, as it is done directly by the doctors and nurses. Less work means less expense.
Disadvantages
1. Susceptibility to network hackers
Patients’ medical history and other health information should be kept confidential for ethical and legal reasons. While the health care system network is definitely equipped with security measures, it is not impossible for network hacking to occur. Hence, this is certainly a vulnerability of Health Informatics.
2. Over-dependency on technology
While once the staff has adapted to the new way of work, there comes the next problem. It is not uncommon for a computer system to face technical errors. The health care informatics system is no exception. This problem is especially crucial in the Accident & Emergency (A&E) Department. Various departments in the hospital are interconnected by a common information system. When 1 department is down, others are affected. For example, a patient was rushed into the A&E Department. When there is an error while retrieving blood analysis information, the rest of the procedures following it will be delayed. This will cause huge inconveniences, or worse; it may even have adverse effects in the patient’s health condition.
3. Expensive
An increasingly sophisticated health technology definitely does not come cheap. We have to understand that all first world national healthcare systems face a range of challenges; one of which is the ageing population. People are living longer. So what does this imply? This means an increased health needs but the working population generatinng income to pay for healthcare system is reduced. So one consideration would be, is the high cost which comes with high technology economically viable for the government?
Strategic uses of health informatics
