Lesson 4

OVERVIEW OF HEALTH INFORMATICS

 The transition from a manual to a more
advanced health information system is an
overarching issue that sits between providers of
healthcare, managers, policy makers, researchers,
and patients alike.

Figure 4.1 Health Information Technology

HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Rouse (2016) defines Health Information Technology (HIT) as “the area of IT involving the design,
development, creation, use, and maintenance of information systems for the healthcare industry.

Health information technology promises to modernize and streamline healthcare and to connect different
users and stakeholders in the e-health market.
HEALTHCARE SOFTWARE SYSTEMS

The electronic health record (EHR) is the central component of the health IT infrastructure. An EHR or
electronic medical record is a person’s official digital health record and is shared among multiple healthcare
providers and agencies.

Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) and vendor neutral archives (VNAs) are two widely used
types of health IT that help healthcare professionals store and manage patients’ medical images.
HEALTHCARE INFORMATION ECOSYSTEM
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (2017) defines a health
interoperability ecosystem as a composition of individuals, systems, and processes that want to
share, exchange, and access all forms of health information, including discrete narrative and
multimedia.
HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS IN THE CLOUD

The role of cloud technology is undeniably significant in our everyday lives. Currently, 83% of healthcare
organizations are making use of cloud-based applications, and it is changing the landscape of the healthcare system
and health informatics. However, both benefits and threats exist (University of Illinois, 2014), and this is discussed
in the following sections.
 HEALTH INFORMATICS IN THE CLOUD

Advantages
• Integrated and efficient
Patient Care
• Batter Management of Data
• Error Reduction
Disadvantages
• Potential Risks to Personal
Information
• Cloud setup seems
cumbersome
• Cost justification
HEALTH INFORMATICS IN THE PHILIPPINES

• Health informatics had been loosely practiced in the Philippines as early as the 1980s.
• CHITS is an electronic medical record (EMR) developed through the collaboration of the Information and
Communication Technology community and health workers, primarily designed for use in Philippine health
centers in disadvantaged areas.
 KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

� Health Information Technology (HIT) is “the area of IT involving the design, development, creation, use,
and maintenance of information systems for the healthcare industry.”
� The electronic health record (EHR) is the central component of the health IT infrastructure.
� Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) and vendor neutral archives (VNAs) are two
widely used types of health IT that help healthcare professionals store and manage patients’ medical
images.
� An efficient health interoperability ecosystem provides an information infrastructure that uses technical
standards, policies, and protocols to enable seamless and secure capture, discovery, exchange, and
utilization of health information.
� The advantages of Health Informatics in the cloud are integrated and efficient patient care and better
management of data.
� Despite the developments in health informatics in the Philippines, the nation still suffers from various
issues that hamper its progress, one of which is the lack of human resource interest in the field. Another
issue is that the benefits of information technology do not seem apparent to many decision-makers in
the healthcare sector.
 REFERENCES

Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. (2021). Informatics, Imaging and
Interoperability.
Department of Science and Technology. (2012). Electronic medical record system, CHITS, can retrieve patient
record in five seconds – expert. http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/ news/2726-electronic-
medical-recordsystem-chits-can-retrieve-patient-record-in-five- seconds-expert
Health Information and Management Systems Society. (2017). The Health Interoperabiity Ecosystem.
http://www.himss.org/library/interoperability-ecosystem
Kushniruk, A., & Borycki, E. (2017). E-Health Two-Sided Markets: Implementation and Business Models.
Elsevier.
Marcelo, A. (2012). Health Informatics in the Philippines. http://www.philmedinfo.org/health- informatics-
in-the-philippines/
Rouse, M. (2016). Health Information Technology. https://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/definition/ Health-
IT-information-technology
University of Illinois. (2014). Four ways cloud technology is changing the healthcare system. https://
healthinformatics.uic.edu/resources/articles/4ways-cloud-technology-is-changing-the- healthcare-
system/