Running Head: HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT 1

Health Information Management

Name

Institution

Date
HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT 2

Health Information Management

Introduction

According to the world health organization, the current day population is sicker than

previous ones. Additionally, access to health care has become a challenge. Thus, it is essential to

organize and manage healthcare services to enable access to appropriate care whenever people

need it. Such is the concept behind integrated health systems (Enthoven, 2016). An integrated

health care system allows all stakeholders that are involved in the patient journey to share

relevant medical information and, consequently, the responsibility for a positive patient outcome

(Hwang et al., 2014). The system also helps in the coordination of care for the patient and the

family, such that there is a smooth transition throughout the entire system of receiving

healthcare. Such systems demand the incorporation of information technology into the health

care system. While I.T.has previously been a part of the healthcare system, its use has not

reached complex levels as it has with the formation of integrated systems. These systems

demand that there is a change in the installation of computer networks. This paper analyzes these

changes and further synthesizes the opportunities and challenges present in computer networking

in healthcare.

Effects of Integration of Computer Networks

In integration, different systems become one. For instance, in a healthcare system, the

inventory staff can access information about the medicine issued on a particular day, and the

patients who received it. The integration of systems demands that there is a thorough analysis of

the hardware, software, and physical elements within the area (Razaa et al., 2016). Computer

networks require that the device in use has the same programming language and protocol. This

ensures that there is ease in real-time information sharing between patients and practitioners.
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Non-integrated systems could use hardware that had different styles and protocols. On the issue

of software, the healthcare institution should decide on the use of a local area or extensive area

network. In a primary healthcare facility, the utilization of the local area network is more

efficient and therefore recommended. Here, the computer networks have to serve as the local

area network. This means that they are in a position to allow and enable the application of

internal information technology solutions.

Additionally, an integrated system requires a computer network to serve as the LAN to

provide communication between different units of the network ensuring a stable connection to

the internet (Al-Saddique, 2018). The other effect of integration on computer networks relates to

the physical properties of the buildings. The number of terminals within the building should not

be more than forty-eight. The distance between workstations and distribution points should also

not be more significant than 90 meters.

Opportunities for Computer Networking in Health Sector

There is no doubt that computer networking provides numerous opportunities for the

healthcare sector. One of these opportunities is the ability of practitioners to store large amounts

of data, which will be easily accessible when the need arises. Health practitioners often require

large sets of data from the patient (Michalski et al., 2015). They may request information about

the medical history of the patient and their family to promote positive health outcomes. The

traditional health facility utilized numerous records that were cumbersome when it came to

accessing or retrieval. Computer networks enable the practitioner to access the health

information of a patient anywhere anytime.

Further, this information is entirely accurate as there is a minimal risk for alteration as

compared to the traditional methods of data storage and accessibility. Also, through the use of
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computer networks, practitioners can now easily update the patient records improving health

outcomes in the end. On the issue of accuracy, practitioners can use the systems to ensure that

patients get the right medication. They can achieve this through the use of bedside barcode

readers where the practitioner scans the barcode on the patient's wrist to verify the dosage, drug,

and the time of dispensation.

The use of computer networks in hospitals also promotes safety and security. There have

been many cases where hospitals are subject to accusations of negligence and inadequate care

measures. It is especially so when the patients in question have mental disorders. These patients

tend to wander off or get off the designated area. Sometimes they end up hurting themselves, and

the blame solely lies in the hospital. The hospital can attach tags to the respective patients.

Through the use of computer networks, the staff is in a position to track their movement. If they

wander off into non-designated areas, there is an alert preventing the occurrence of a tragedy,

thus improving overall patient care.

Computer networks also enable practitioners to provide support to patients even when

they are away from the hospital. For instance, there is the use of wireless blood pressure cuffs.

Through the network, a doctor can get an alert when the patient's blood pressure is high.

Consequently, they are in a position to communicate with the patient and help in identifying a

solution towards regulating the blood pressure. Still, in this case, computer networks are a great

enabler when it comes to access to medical help in remote areas. There are those areas where it is

difficult to get specialists. Traditionally, such patients would suffer a great deal, and some would

even lose their lives. However, through the use of computer networks, there could be a sharing of

information about the patient's condition. The specialist, in turn, can offer instructions on how to

deal with the situation at hand. There are even cases where, through video calls, the specialist
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can guide practitioners on how to carry out surgeries that become successful at the end

(Michalski et al., 2015). Medical practitioners must collaborate for positive health outcomes. In

the error of computer networking, practitioners who are on opposite sides of the globe can

quickly consult with one another and achieve amicable solutions to a medical problem.

Computer networks are also useful in that they facilitate smooth patient transfers. There

is no need for patients to move from hospital to hospital with a chunk of files containing their

medical history and diagnosis. Hospitals can now share health records with the use of computers.

Another opportunity is that computer networks provide the opportunity for medical practitioners

to offer helpful information to the population without them having to visit a hospital. There are

sites where people can visit and gain insights on issues such as healthy living and first aid

measures, which could save lives. Concerning this, computer networks allow medical

practitioners to enhance their research as they can access various information sites and

collaborate with other experts. They can also use big data to understand the different health

patterns among populations. Computer networks are significant data enabler. The practitioners

can then develop solutions for medical problems.

Challenges of Computer Networking in the Health Sector

Despite the numerous opportunities, there are also various challenges that computer

networking presents. The first challenge is that of reliability. There is a need for medical

information to be available in real-time. The implication of this is that people access medical

data information at any time and any place. The current computer systems have a problem with

consistency in this area. Sometimes the networks are down, and therefore access to data becomes

a challenge. All industries that have embraced IT systems understand that data security is quite a

challenge (Ackerman & Locatis, 2014). This is the same case in the healthcare industry. The data
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shared across networks are at risk of attack from perpetrators. Healthcare institutes have the

responsibility to ensure that the data is safe from external attacks. They also ensure that only the

relevant parties have access to patient information. Failure to achieve these amounts to the

violation of the HIPAA regulations. Many healthcare organizations have faced legal struggles

over these issues whose root cause is the presence of computer networks. Thus, there is a need to

develop encryption and data security measures. Another challenge still in the area of security is

with medical equipment. The presence of computer networks enables hackers to take down any

system that they gain access to. These systems may include sensitive medical equipment.

Consequently, there could be manipulation or a take-down of material such that the patient

suffers in the end.

There is also the common challenge of interoperability of systems. It is common that

when a trend hits the market, then most people run to become providers of the service or product

(Ackerman & Locatis, 2014). This is the same case with healthcare systems. There is currently

flooding of the market with different types of devices for use in the healthcare industries. Due to

the difference in manufacturers, these devices may use different protocols and programming

languages. The result is medical devices that do not speak the same vocabulary. The practitioner

then is not in a position to help the patient as the device cannot collect and interpret patient

information in real-time. As earlier mentioned, there is the opportunity of practitioners assisting

patients even without their physical presence. The practice is known as telemedicine. However,

computer networks provide a challenge in that there is a lack of a robust internet connection.

Therefore, the practitioner is unable to offer uninterrupted consultations with the patient leading

to poor patient outcomes. Lastly, computer networks are expensive to install and also to

maintain. Hospitals need to have a full revamp of their buildings and existing systems to achieve
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the maximum benefits of the networks. The facilities need to train their staff and hire more IT

professionals. All these may require large amounts of capital. It may be a challenge for most

hospitals, especially those that receive funding from the government. On the problem of

maintenance, since this is not the core competency of the institution, it might be hard to perform

the task diligently. Therefore, they may need to outsource the function.
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References

Ackerman, M., & Locatis, C. (2014). Advanced networks and computing in healthcare. Journal

of the American Medical Informatics Association: JAMIA, 18(4), 523–528

Al-Saddique, A. (2018). Integrated Delivery Systems (IDSs) as a Means of Reducing Costs and

Improving Healthcare Delivery. Journal of Healthcare Communication, 3 (1)

Enthoven, ACAC (2016). What is an Integrated Health Care Financing and Delivery System

(IDS)? And What must would-be IDS Accomplish to Become Competitive with them?

Health Economics Outcome Resource, 2(115)

Hwang, W., Chang, J., La Clair, M., & Paz, H. (2014). Effects of Integrated Delivery Systems on

Cost and Quality, The American Journal of Managed Care, 19(5)

Michalski, M., Bąkała, M., & Bąkała, A. (2015). The Role of a Computer Network in Health

Information Management in Primary Health Care Institutions. Polish Journal of

Management Studies, 11(2)

Razaa, M., Kumara, V., Nafareiha, A., & Robertsona, W. (2016). An Analysis of the Effects of

Network Implementation Choices on Healthcare Applications. The 11th International

Conference on Future Networks and Communications (FNC-2016)