Information Technology Applications in Healthcare, Research Paper Example

Also referred to as medical informatics and nursing informatics, the application of information technology in the field of healthcare is quite vast, considering all of the advances in computer and Internet technologies over the last ten years. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are seven primary areas of concern related to the application of information technology in healthcare–1), clinical decision support or the ability to connect with outside healthcare professionals regarding patient outcomes and treatment; 2), computerized disease registries, being a database of diseases and disorders; 3), computerized provider order entry; 4), consumer health Internet technology applications; 5), electronic medical records (EMRs, EHRs or electronic health records, and PHRs); 6), electronic prescribing or electronically prescribing medications; and 7), telehealth which allows patients and their caregivers to share information with others via the Internet and teleconferences with the result being better decisions related to health care and treatment (Health Information Technology Integration, 2015).

As noted by E. Ortiz and C.M. Clancy, one of the most important areas related to information technology in healthcare is Clinical Informatics to Promote Patient Safety program which was originally created to help reduce medical errors and improve patient safety. This program was made possible via IT investments by the U.S. federal government with several goals in mind–1), to design and test best practices for reducing errors in multiple health care settings; 2), to further develop the scientific base related to medical errors; 3), to improve provider education in order to decrease medical errors; and 4), to build the capacity to further reduce medical errors (2003) which cost the healthcare industry billions of dollars on an annual basis.

References

Health information technology integration. (2015). AHQR. Retrieved from http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/prevention-chronic-care/improve/health-it

Ortiz, E., and Clancy, C.M. (2003). Use of information technology to improve the quality of health care in the United States. Health Services Research (38)2, xi-xxii. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360897