UNIT II (1)

HEALTH
INFORMATICS
INTRODUCTION
Health informatics is a field of nursing that incorporates:
 nursing
Computer
Information science

It is used to maintain and develop medical data and systems to support the practice
of nursing and to improve patient care outcomes
NEED OF HEALTH INFORMATICS
To provide the best possible quality of healthcare which requires healthcare
professionals to integrate healthcare with information technology by using
electronic health records (EHR) and a combined healthcare infrastructure.
Health informatics can be found in every area of healthcare including clinical,
administrative and economic.
#1 PATIENT KNOWLEDGE
 By having access to EHR, a patient remains aware of what prescriptions he may
have to take.

The patient can communicate with the physicians and nurse through this portal.
The family members of the patient also remain well informed of the patient’s
data.
 A patient can be more responsible towards his health issues as he has access to
his health recommendations and healthcare history.
#2 SHARED KNOWLEDGE
o With EHRs and health informatics, the saying, “knowledge is power” stands true.

o EHRs allow the physicians to share the important patient information including: illness, medications,
therapies, diagnosis, tests and any other pertinent information.

o This sharing of medical knowledge saves both time and money of the patient.

o It helps in providing better and timely care to the patient.

o Health information can be shared throughout the chain of care from the patient right to the health
administrator and pharmacist.
#3 OVERALL IMPROVEMENT IN
OUTCOME
It helps doctors provide safer, cheaper and high quality care.

As coordinated care teams all have access to same information, they are able to
work more efficiently, make a better diagnosis and fewer errors.

It eliminates a lot of manual jobs which saves time of the doctors and the
patients.

Health informatics thus provides a better overall outcome for everyone involoved.
#4 DECREASE IN COSTS
 A lot of money is spent on repeat procedures when multiple doctors are seeing
a patient and are unaware of procedures that have already been done.
Some patients are unaware of the tests they are receiving and why.
Lab tests were also done repeatedly by multiple doctors.

With EHRS and a connected infrastructure, medical professional can access the
patient’s medical records online and instantly become aware of the patient’s data
regarding medical assessment. This saves huge amounts of money of the patient,
insurance company and healthcare providers.
LIMITATIONS
#1 EXPENSIVE

◦ Due to better health care infrastructure people are living longer.

The aging population has increased health needs, which
requires high cost expenditures, but the working population
generating income to pay for healthcare systems is reduced.
#2 REQUIRES TIME TO ADAPT

◦ As we know, technology is constantly evolving. With time, there will

be new softwares, new upgrades and new ways of doing things. In
order to keep up with the competitive edge, hospital staff has to keep
up with such changes. This can be a struggle, especially for the older
staff.
#3 OVER DEPENDANCY ON
TECHNOLOGY
◦ It is not uncommon for a computer system to face technical errors. This problem
is especially troublesome in the Accident & Emergence (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 to
be followed will be delayed. This will cause a lot of inconvenience.
#4 SUSCEPTIBILITY TO NETWORK
HACKERS

◦ Patient’s medical history and other health information should be kept confidential
for ethical and legal reasons. While the healthcare system is equipped with security
measures, it is not impossible for network hacks to occur.
THANK YOU