Definition and Explanation of the Importance of Medical Informatics (MI)
Medical Informatics (MI) is the field of study in health science that involves the application of information science in healthcare to significantly influence the relevant patient care and community health information in terms of; clinical knowledge, management of patient data, and population data to make meaningful use of this information (Holroyd-Leduc et al., 2016). This has been made possible by the emergence of digital age since the 1940s, with traces of mechanical computing in medicine being traced back from the early 19 th Century by Hollerith’s application of the punched-card data-processing system (Shortliffe, 2017). Some notable importance of medical informatics is its ability to aid nurses, dentists, and other clinicians to acquire greater competence and relate knowledge in one field parallel to another. Additionally, medical informatics assists medical practitioners with ideas and skills to solve multidisciplinary problems related to health care provision, thus leading to improved quality and safe care.
Medical Informatics’ Impact on the Quality of Care
Medical Informatics (MI) has come a long way in influencing the movement away from paper-based systems to integrated patient-care records of medical information. Consequently, the shift to e-records has resulted in the maintenance of Electronic Patient Records that are easier and safer to access. Further, the MI system has proved to be an effective tool in the minimization of trials and errors, thus preventing common allergies to patients’ because of medicines that may be administered wrongly. Indeed, prior warning on the systems on possible dangers and reactions of patients to certain drugs is easily established (Hovenga, & Mantas, 2018). MI systems also enhance the ability to self-manage illness that patients have through motivation to follow prescription and clinician orders easily. All the mentioned applications ensure that benefits are realized in the healthcare industry through lessened errors, automated routines, and reduction of labor-intensive tasks out of the busy hands of the medical staff thus impacting on the quality and safe patient care.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Potential Problems with Quality of Care and Information Systems Implementations
One fundamental issue posing as a challenge in the implementation of ISI on quality care involves the lack of enough support from the development of the ICT to attain the goal of health informatics as it regards the healthcare professionals and managers. The inadequate support greatly hinders the full potential that is supposed to be realized by the information systems. Moreover, there is the issue of minimum financial support from the federal governments with little allocated funds in the national budgets, which makes it challenging to implement the EHR programs. Further, poorly designed and inappropriate use of the EHR systems leads to subsequent related errors that can endanger patient safety and reduce quality health care at the same time. Indeed, this can be detrimental to the original idea of ensuring the quality of care and well-being of the patients (Shortliffe, 2017). Lastly, the implementation of the systems in healthcare is a costly venture, which makes it difficult to integrate the exchange and transfer of information in the various health departments.
Description of How Medical Informatics Seeks To Solve Quality of Care and Implementation Problems
The fusion of technology and science has undoubtedly played an integral role in the healthcare industry today. It is possible to treat medical conditions, and offer a data bank for the medical history of many patients. Thus, MI enhances patient care quality and safety through interlinking communication, technology, and healthcare provision. To solve the implementation problems mentioned in the prior section, certain measures need to be undertaken to help secure patient’s data and eliminate potential risks. Ideally, emphasis should be put on offering a secure way of data storage, proper technological training, and an effective and dedicated way of connecting technology with healthcare through the effective communication to streamline the process of recording, storage, analyzing, and accessing patient health records (Hovenga, & Mantas, 2018).
Goals of Medical Informatics in an EHR Implementation
The fundamental objective of implementing EHR systems is to improve patient safety. Healthcare providers are rapidly implementing the systems to improve on the clinical decisions, better manage medication, reduce duplication of diagnostic testing, imaging and history taking, as well as increasing the ability to adopt screening programs and preventive health measures that foster quality patient care.
Explain why it is important to manage information as a key strategic resource and mission tool
It is basic knowledge that informatics and IT should be a valued resource in the healthcare industry. Therefore, better investment in information will be crucial in achieving the desired health outcomes of improving public health and lowering health costs as perceived by the consumers. Medical Informatics has proven to be an important tool that will help in integrating patient information and thus assist healthcare providers with important strategic decisions, which will enhance the provision of quality care to patients.
References
Holroyd-Leduc, J. M., Lorenzetti, D., Straus, S. E., Sykes, L., & Quan, H. (2016). The impact of the electronic medical record on structure, process, and outcomes within primary care: a systematic review of the evidence. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association , 18 (6), 732-737.
Shortliffe, E. H. (2017). Medical informatics: Computer applications in health care and biomedicine . New York: Springer.
Hovenga, E. J. S., & Mantas, J. (2018). Global health informatics education . Amsterdam: IOS Press.
