Lesson 4-Overview of Health Informatics

LESSON 4:
OVERVIEW OF HEALTH INFORMATICS

OBJECTIVES:
1. define health information
technology;
2. discuss health care software
systems and health
information ecosystem;
3. explain the advantages and
disadvantages of health
informatics in the cloud; and
4. describe the status of health
informatics in the
Philippines.
The dawn of the information age has resulted into the generation of
huge amounts of routine data which can become perplexing to process
and analyze. This is the challenge for health informatics to make sense
of large amounts of data while ensuring the processes are valid and
secure.
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.
While there are benefits, there are also undeniable disadvantages
Health Information Technology
"the area of IT involving the design, development, creation, use, and

maintenance of information systems for the healthcare industry.”
improve medical care;

lower costs;
increase efficiency;
reduce error; and
improve patient satisfaction.
(Rouse, 2016)
• HIT often involves electronic transactions of health information
- maintain privacy and security.
• Health information technology promises to:

a.) modernize and streamline healthcare
b.) connect different users and stakeholders in the e-health market.
(Kushniruk and Borycki, 2017).

Healthcare Software Systems
1. Electronic Health Record (EHR)
• central component of the health IT infrastructure.
• aka Electronic Medical Record - person's official, digital health record
and is shared among multiple healthcare providers and agencies.
Other key elements of the health IT infrastructure:
a. Personal Health Record (PHR) - a person's self-maintained health
record
b. Health Information Exchange (HIE) - a health data clearinghouse or
a group of healthcare organizations that enter into an
interoperability pact and agree to share data between their various
health IT systems.
2. 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.
• Formerly, Radiology Departments have been the primary

repositories of medical images.
Healthcare Information Ecosystem
health interoperability ecosystem - individuals, systems, and processes that
want to share, exchange, and access all forms of health information.
(The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, 2017)
Individuals, patients, providers, hospitals/health systems, researchers, payers,

suppliers and systems are potential stakeholders within such an ecosystem.
Each is involved in the creation, exchange and use of health information and/or
data.
Health Informatics in the Cloud
• Currently, 83% of healthcare organizations are making use of cloud-

based applications (University of Illinois, 2014).
Advantage: Integrated and Efficient Patient
Care
• Offers a single access point for patient information
Physicians can spend more time deciding and performing patient
treatment instead of waiting for information he needs coming from
different departments.
Disadvantage: Potential Risks to Personal
• The information contained within medical records may be subjected

to theft or other violations of privacy and confidentiality.
• Safeguards may be put in place in order to minimize such threats,
(encryption, proper data disposal, and other security features).
Advantage: Better Management of Data
• Allow more meaningful data mining that can better assess the health
of the general public.
Disadvantage: Cloud Set-up Seems
Cumbersome
• Difficult to some members of healthcare organizations, particularly for

smaller or older practices that may not be familiar with cloud
technology.
Health Informatics in the Philippines
• Had been loosely practiced in the Philippines as early as the 1980s.
• Practitioners who had access to IBM compatible machines were already
using word processors to store patient information by then.
 Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS)

- a Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP-based system released under the general
public license (GPL).
- was named finalist at the Stockholm Challenge 2006 and one of top
three e-government projects in the Philippines by the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation Digital Opportunity Center.
• CHITS
- an EMR developed through the collaboration of the Information and
Communication Technology community and health workers
- designed for use in Philippine health centers in disadvantaged areas.
- currently utilized in 111 government health facilities.
• The implementation of CHITS has resulted to heightened efficiency
among health workers.
(Department of Science and Technology, 2012).
Health informatics is seen more as a novelty rather than as a
profession.
• Another issue is that benefits of information technology do not seem
apparent to many decision-makers in the healthcare sector.
• The large initial expenditure for a health information system remains
another barrier to the integration of IT in Philippine healthcare
(Marcelo, 2012).
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER
• Health Information Technology (HIT) - 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.
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER
• Efficient health interoperability ecosystem 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 benefits of information technology do not seem apparent
to many decision-makers in the healthcare sector.

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LESSON 4:

OVERVIEW OF HEALTH INFORMATICS

"the area of IT involving the design, development, creation, use, and

improve medical care;

• Health information technology promises to:

(Kushniruk and Borycki, 2017).

• Formerly, Radiology Departments have been the primary

Individuals, patients, providers, hospitals/health systems, researchers, payers,

• Currently, 83% of healthcare organizations are making use of cloud-

• The information contained within medical records may be subjected

• Difficult to some members of healthcare organizations, particularly for

 Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS)

• Health Information Technology (HIT) - design, development, creation,

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