The health industry is growing at a feverish pace. It is estimated that up to 30% of the total health budget may be spent one way or another on handling information, collecting it, looking for it, and storing it. In the coming decades, the healthcare system will be undergoing the biggest transformation of any industry in the history. Health being information-intensive, safe and reliable healthcare will depend more and more on access to, and the use of, information that is accurate, valid, reliable, timely, relevant, legible, complete and retrievable.
From the care delivery point of view, there will be significant increase in the demand for high quality care. The aging population with more complicated medical problems coupled with the increasing medical knowledge, will demand greater services and effort from limited medical resources. Furthermore, the increasing utilization of multidisciplinary care creates the need for interoperability between various healthcare entities. The need for rapid automation of the medical care with new technologies addressing the medical data management is therefore obvious.
Although our current health system in general is inconsistently and significantly underutilizing the Web and IT, it is asserted that technology is one of the most pervasive and ubiquitous tools in healthcare today, transforming not only healthcare but also the professions within it by alleviating in certain ways, both financial and management burdens. Information technology (IT) is therefore perceived to possess the potential to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care. Lines below, try to describe how this comes to happen.
Table of Contents
1. CHAPTER 1 : HEALTHCARE IN THE ERA OF ADVANCED IT: OVERVIEW AND EVOLUTION
2. CHAPTER 2: ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS AND INTEROPERABILITY
Objectives & Topics
This academic work explores the critical role of Information Technology (IT) in modern hospital management, specifically focusing on how digital transformation and interoperable systems contribute to significant reductions in operational and economic costs within the healthcare sector.
- The evolution of healthcare systems through advanced IT integration.
- The transition from paper-based medical records to integrated Electronic Health Records (EHRs).
- The strategic importance of interoperability for data management and clinical efficiency.
- Methods for reducing medical errors and improving patient care quality through technology.
- Economic impact of IT-driven healthcare administration and process optimization.
Excerpt from the book
CHAPTER 2: ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS AND INTEROPERABILITY
The ad hoc collection of health data and the “silos” in healthcare have little place in a modern health system. There are now two powerful drivers shaping the face of health and manner in which data are collected: Electronic Health Records and the need to share data seamlessly across geographical settings (Conrick 2006: 20). EHRs were originally envisioned just as patients’ medical data stored in electronic form in replacement of paper-based records. Now they are generally viewed as a part of an automated order-entry and patient-tracking system providing real-time access to patient data, as well as a continuous longitudinal record of their care (Kedar and Bhattacharya 2011). The EHRs can only deliver their expected benefits when the information and the EHR are Standardized and “structured” in uniform ways allowing the system both to send standardized data to and to receive standardized data from other providers (Stroupe 2011). This “send and receive” capability is known as “interoperability”. This is viewed as the ability of two or more systems or components to exchange information and to use the information that has been exchanged (HIQA 2013:8).
Discussion of interoperability focus on development of standards defining the format of the interoperable data, medical terminologies to use and security and privacy safeguard terms (Stroupe 2011, HIQA 2013). ICD-10, HL7, SNOMED CT are commonly known examples of standardized codes and ISO, CEN, HL7 some standards development organizations.
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER 1 : HEALTHCARE IN THE ERA OF ADVANCED IT: OVERVIEW AND EVOLUTION: This chapter outlines the historical shift toward information-intensive healthcare and how computer systems have been integrated into clinical and administrative practices to improve operational flexibility.
CHAPTER 2: ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS AND INTEROPERABILITY: This chapter examines the transition to standardized Electronic Health Records and explains how interoperability between systems is essential for improving cost-effectiveness and patient safety.
Keywords
Information Technology, Hospital Management, Economic Costs, Healthcare Informatics, Electronic Health Records, Interoperability, Clinical Decision Support Systems, E-health, Healthcare Efficiency, Data Management, Patient Safety, Medical Errors, Healthcare Transformation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the transformative role of Information Technology in the hospital sector and how digital integration helps reduce economic burdens while improving service quality.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The main themes include the evolution of health informatics, the shift from paper-based to electronic records, the technical requirement of interoperability, and the economic benefits of digital automation in healthcare.
What is the central research question?
The work seeks to explain how the application of Information Technology in hospital environments contributes specifically to the reduction of operational and economic costs.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author utilizes a literature-based analytical approach, reviewing existing studies, health standards, and organizational reports to synthesize how IT tools improve healthcare management.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body details the development of healthcare IT, the necessity of integrated clinical systems, and the impact of standardized electronic records on administrative and medical workflows.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
Key terms include Information Technology, Hospital Management, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Interoperability, and Healthcare Cost Reduction.
What role does interoperability play in modern hospitals?
Interoperability allows diverse systems to exchange and utilize data seamlessly, which reduces duplicate testing, minimizes medical errors, and facilitates better patient outcomes.
How does the author describe the shift from paper-based records?
The author views this shift as a transition from siloed, incomplete paper records to integrated, real-time electronic systems that are accessible to authorized providers at any time.
Why is IT considered a tool for economic efficiency?
IT improves efficiency by automating billing and administrative tasks, ensuring accurate data, and providing decision support systems that prevent costly medical errors.
What is the significance of the "silo" problem mentioned in the text?
The "silo" problem refers to the fragmented collection of health data that lacks communication between systems, which the author argues has no place in a modern, cost-efficient healthcare system.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Dr Bruce Wembulua Shinga (Autor:in), 2016, Role of IT in the management of Hospitals, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/349843
