Benefits Of Health Information Technology Research Articles

Benefits of Information Technology in Healthcare: Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and Personal Health Records.

Systematic evaluations of the benefits of health information technology (HIT) play an essential role in enhancing healthcare quality by improving outcomes. However, there is limited empirical evidence regarding the benefits of IT adoption in healthcare settings. This study aimed to review the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and personal health records (PHR), based on scientific evidence. The literature published in peer-reviewed journals between 2016 and 2022 was searched for systematic reviews and meta-analysis studies using the PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases. Manual searches were also performed using the reference lists of systematic reviews and eligible studies from major health informatics journals. The benefits of each HIT were assessed from multiple perspectives across four outcome domains. Twenty-four systematic review or meta-analysis studies on AI, IoT, and PHR were identified. The benefits of each HIT were assessed and summarized from a multifaceted perspective, focusing on four outcome domains: clinical, psycho-behavioral, managerial, and socioeconomic. The benefits varied depending on the nature of each type of HIT and the diseases to which they were applied. Overall, our review indicates that AI and PHR can positively impact clinical outcomes, while IoT holds potential for improving managerial efficiency. Despite ongoing research into the benefits of health IT in line with advances in healthcare, the existing evidence is limited in both volume and scope. The findings of our study can help identify areas for further investigation.

Perspectives on the Intersection of Electronic Health Records and Health Care Team Communication, Function, and Well-being

Understanding of the interplay between the electronic health record (EHR), health care team relations, and physician well-being is currently lacking. Approaches to cultivate interpersonal interactions may be necessary to complement advancements in health information technology with high-quality team function. To examine ways in which the EHR, health care team functioning, and physician well-being intersect and interact. Secondary qualitative analysis of semistructured interview data from 2 studies used keyword-in-context approaches to identify excerpts related to teams. Thematic analysis was conducted using pattern coding, then organized using the relationship-centered organization model. Two health care organizations in California from March 16 to October 13, 2017, and February 28 to April 21, 2022, participated, with respondents including attending and resident physicians. Across data sets, themes centered around the interactions between the EHR, health care team functioning, and physician well-being. The first study data focused on EHR-related distressing events and their role in attending physician and resident physician emotions and actions. The second study focused on EHR use and daily EHR irritants. The 73 respondents included attending physicians (53 [73%]) and resident physicians (20 [27%]). Demographic data were not collected. Participants worked in ambulatory specialties (33 [45%]), hospital medicine (10 [14%]), and surgery (10 [14%]). The EHR was reported to be the dominant communication modality among all teams. Interviewees indicated that the EHR facilitates task-related communication and is well suited to completing simple, uncomplicated tasks. However, EHR-based communication limited the rich communication and social connection required for building relationships and navigating conflict. The EHR was found to negatively impact team function by promoting disagreement and introducing areas of conflict into team relationships related to medical-legal pressures, role confusion, and undefined norms around EHR-related communication. In addition, interviewees expressed that physician EHR-related distress affects interactions within the team, eroding team well-being. In this study, the EHR supported task-oriented and efficient communication among team members to get work done and care for patients; however, participants felt that the technology shifts attention away from the human needs of the care team that are necessary for developing relationships, building trust, and resolving conflicts. Interventions to cultivate interpersonal interactions and team function are necessary to complement the efficiency benefits of health information technology.

Revitalization of a communication pharmacy course: The journey of reframing student perceptions

IntroductionDespite the conveniences and logistical safety benefits of health information technology, there is an increasing public need for improved communication in live and virtual encounters with healthcare providers, including pharmacists. Increasingly, the digital world necessitates the need for pharmacy curricula to improve healthcare professional students' fundamental professional communication skills. PerspectiveA new clinical faculty member's journey through revitalizing a pharmacy professional communication course is presented. The project utilized reframing and perception recalibration while adding experiential learning to add curricular application opportunities both face-to-face and virtually. ImplicationsDoctor of pharmacy programs require continued prioritization of the development and teaching of communication curricula to optimize future healthcare providers' effectiveness in improving patient health outcomes. Student perception of pertinence is improved by presenting clear subject matter progression, adapting materials to fit an empathy-based healthcare-specific aim, and pairing didactic material with a community introductory pharmacy practice experience.

A regulatory perspective on the influence of health information technology on organisational quality and safety in England.

Health information technology can transform and enhance the quality and safety of care, but it may also introduce new risks. This study analysed 130 healthcare regulator inspection reports and organisational digital maturity scores in order to characterise the impact of health information technology on quality and safety from a regulatory perspective. Although digital maturity and the positive use of health information technology are significantly associated with overall organisational quality, the negative effects of health information technology are frequently and more commonly identified by regulators. The poor usability of technology, lack of easy access to systems and data and the incorrect use of health information technology are the most commonly identified areas adversely affecting quality and safety. There is a need to understand the full risks and benefits of health information technology from the perspective of all stakeholders, including patients, end-users, providers and regulators in order to best inform future practice and regulation.

Educational approaches for improving physicians' use of health information technology.

The benefits of Health Information Technology (HIT) depend on the way they are being used. Education and training are often needed to move from basic to advanced, value-adding, use. In this article, we describe three educational approaches that can help in achieving this goal: "productive failure," video tutorials, and simulation. We describe the rationale behind these approaches, their strengths, and limitations and illustrate their application, respectively, to three problems associated with the use of HIT in clinical practice: improving data quality within Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) at the point of data entry, use of advanced EMR features for chronic disease management, and impact of the EMR on patient-clinician communication. We conclude that, while these approaches are promising, there is a need for innovation and diversity of educational approaches to address use of advanced HIT features, identified challenges with HIT, and usage in context-as well as for rigorous evaluation.

Texas hospitals with higher health information technology expenditures have higher revenue: A longitudinal data analysis using a generalized estimating equation model.

BackgroundThe benefits of health information technology (IT) adoption have been reported in the literature, but whether health IT investment increases revenue generation remains an important research question.MethodsTexas hospital data obtained from the American Hospital Association (AHA) for 2007–2010 were used to investigate the association of health IT expenses and hospital revenue. The generalized estimation equation (GEE) with an independent error component was used to model the data controlling for cluster error within hospitals.ResultsWe found that health IT expenses were significantly and positively associated with hospital revenue. Our model predicted that a 100 % increase in health IT expenditure would result in an 8 % increase in total revenue. The effect of health IT was more associated with gross outpatient revenue than gross inpatient revenue.ConclusionIncreased health IT expenses were associated with greater hospital revenue. Future research needs to confirm our findings with a national sample of hospitals.

Health Information Technology in Nigeria: Stakeholders’ Perspectives of Nationwide Implementations and Meaningful Use of the Emerging Technology in the Most Populous Black Nation

Background: Nigeria is witnessing continuing advocacy and increase in number of individuals yearning for computerization of health information and healthcare processes. On the other hand, the Government of this most populous black nation is evolving plans and strategies for the adoption and implementation of health information technology (HIT). However, little is known about opinions of the diverse healthcare providers who would act the script of government in ensuring meaningful use of HIT in the country. Objective: This nationwide, cross-sectional study attempted to determine stakeholders’ perspectives of the emerging HIT in Nigeria. Result: HIT stakeholders who gave consent (n=233) at the two conferences participated in the study, 76% of whom were male professionals, mostly (117, 50.2%) from tertiary healthcare institutions. It worthy of note that three of the participants came from United States of America to attend the 1st National Conference on Health Information Technology in Nigeria. Of all participants, the majority (226, 99.1%) opined that HIT will improve communication among healthcare providers. A similar portion (223, 98.2%) were of the opinion that HIT will facilitate prompt retrieval of patient’s health records on point-of-care (POC). Nearly two-third (139, 62.6%) were optimistic of possible realization of nationwide implementations of HIT in the country by the year 2020. The results also indicate that gender, professional inclination, and place of work were important predictors of positive opinion of HIT. The three factors were associated with stakeholders’ opinion that the evolving HIT is capable of improving medical care quality (p=0.059; 0.000; 0.014) of the Nigerian populace. Most stakeholders (61%) recommended that the paper-based health records should be archived post implementation of HIT. Conclusion: The Nigerian healthcare system is manned by providers and stakeholders who are quite abreast of the benefits of health information technology and are willing to embrace the technology in their workflow. This is quite reassuring and tends to prompt the healthcare decision makers to proactively formulate policies and introduce interventions to encourage nationwide acceptance of the emerging technology. Nonetheless, there is more to be done on appropriate clinical documentation in order to set a friendly pedestal for effective takeoff, successful implementations and meaningful use. Appropriate funding and financial incentives for quality improvement is recommended. In addition, the National Conference on HIT should be convened annually and a technical committee be set up to appraise future implementations.

End-user support for primary care electronic medical records: a qualitative case study of users’ needs, expectations, and realities

Support is considered an important factor for realizing the benefits of health information technology, but there is a dearth of research on the topic of support, especially in primary care. We conducted a qualitative multiple case study of four family health teams and one family health organization in Ontario, Canada in an attempt to gain insight into users’ expectations and needs, and the realities of end-user support for primary care electronic medical records. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews, document review, and observation of training sessions. The analysis highlights the important role of on-site information technology staff and super-users in liaising with various stakeholders to solve technical problems and providing hardware and functional (how to) support; the local development of data support practices to ensure consistent documentation; and the gaps that exist in users’ and support personnel’s understanding of each other’s work processes.

What It Will Take To Achieve The As-Yet-Unfulfilled Promises Of Health Information Technology

A team of RAND Corporation researchers projected in 2005 that rapid adoption of health information technology (IT) could save the United States more than $81 billion annually. Seven years later the empirical data on the technology's impact on health care efficiency and safety are mixed, and annual health care expenditures in the United States have grown by $800 billion. In our view, the disappointing performance of health IT to date can be largely attributed to several factors: sluggish adoption of health IT systems, coupled with the choice of systems that are neither interoperable nor easy to use; and the failure of health care providers and institutions to reengineer care processes to reap the full benefits of health IT. We believe that the original promise of health IT can be met if the systems are redesigned to address these flaws by creating more-standardized systems that are easier to use, are truly interoperable, and afford patients more access to and control over their health data. Providers must do their part by reengineering care processes to take full advantage of efficiencies offered by health IT, in the context of redesigned payment models that favor value over volume.

The Health IT Pledge

WITH EACH NEW ACADEMIC YEAR, WE ALL FACE THE CHALLENGE OF FINDING NEW IDEAS FOR OUR COURSES. This is particularly true as we struggle with the integration of informatics into the nursing curriculum. Following is a learning activity that you can use highlight the use of information technologies and communication tools facilitate patient engagement. hope that you will modify the approach have taken. Not only will your students learn how use innovative tools engage patients in their health care, but they will also begin think about redesigning patient advocacy and consumer engagement in the era of social media and smartphone apps. As a faculty member, always try create learning strategies that allow learners translate their knowledge into meaningful experiences or useable products. This summer, kept thinking about the call issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM, 2011) for nurses understand innovative technology tools and experiment with them. In its Future of Nursing report, the IOM charges nurses with redesigning consumer engagement and health delivery. So, in preparing for the online course in e-health teach each summer for our graduate program in informatics, decided make a change for the final assignment required of students. Rather than conclude with an assignment create a plan implement an e-health application support advanced nursing practice, determined allow learners translate their new knowledge into a health campaign. In this course, we examine tools that facilitate peer-to-peer health and connect patients or consumers with providers outside the walls of traditional health institutions. These tools include telehealth, patient portals, personal health records, social media, Second Life, and mobile health (m-health) apps. The course has four modules: definitions, descriptions of the tools and their uses in health care, assessing the evidence, and analyzing the challenges. This year, inspired by the IOM and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (www.healthit.gov) campaign put the I in Health IT, had students learn about the Health IT Pledge (www.healthit.gov/pledge/). The goal would be to educate and engage the public on the value and benefits of health information technology (health IT) in improving health and health care through the use of an e-health tool (Health and Human Services Department, 2011). The first step was engage in a healthy discussion about what e-health is and the differences between the two concepts of empowerment and engagement. Then we discussed the two types of pledges offered through the Health IT campaign. The first, targeted toward those who manage or maintain individually identifiable health data (e.g., providers, hospitals, payers, retail pharmacies), is as follows: We pledge make it easier for individuals and their caregivers have secure, timely, and electronic access their health information. Suggestions for this pledge include allowing consumers access personal health information, for example, from a patient portal, or encouraging staff take a leadership role in promoting access health information so that consumers can more actively participate in their health decisions. The second pledge, targeted toward those who do not manage or maintain consumer health data, but have the ability educate consumers about the importance of getting access and using their health information (e.g., employers, consumer and disease-based organizations, healthcare associations, product developers), goes like this: We pledge engage and empower individuals be partners in their health through information technology. The TIGER Initiative Foundation is one of the non data holders that took the second pledge. Suggestions for this pledge include engaging constituents dialogue about benefits, having a CEO or dean send a message all employees, developing products, like apps, help consumers, or, in our case, educating patients about the value of e-health tools for consumer engagement. …

Understanding end-user support for health information technology: a theoretical framework

Support is often considered an important factor for successful implementation and realising the benefits of health information technology (HIT); however, there is a dearth of research on support and theoretical frameworks to characterise it. To develop and present a comprehensive, holistic, framework for characterising enduser support that can be applied to various settings and types of information systems. Scoping review of the medical informatics and information systems literature. A theoretical framework of end-user support is presented. It includes the following facets: support source, location of support, support activities, and perceived characteristics of support and support personnel. The proposed framework may be a useful tool for describing and characterising enduser support for HIT. it may also be used by decision makers and implementation leaders for planning purposes.

The Benefits Of Health Information Technology: A Review Of The Recent Literature Shows Predominantly Positive Results

An unprecedented federal effort is under way to boost the adoption of electronic health records and spur innovation in health care delivery. We reviewed the recent literature on health information technology to determine its effect on outcomes, including quality, efficiency, and provider satisfaction. We found that 92 percent of the recent articles on health information technology reached conclusions that were positive overall. We also found that the benefits of the technology are beginning to emerge in smaller practices and organizations, as well as in large organizations that were early adopters. However, dissatisfaction with electronic health records among some providers remains a problem and a barrier to achieving the potential of health information technology. These realities highlight the need for studies that document the challenging aspects of implementing health information technology more specifically and how these challenges might be addressed.

Potential benefits of health information technology for integrating physical and behavioral health care: perinatal depression as a case-in-point

Depression among pregnant and postpartum women (i.e., perinatal depression) is the number one complication of childbirth. The Allegheny County Maternal Depression Initiative aimed to bridge gaps between physical and behavioral health care and improve the capacity of local systems of care for identifying and treating women at high risk for perinatal depression. To achieve these goals, the collaborative adopted a community-based model of systems change focused on women enrolled in the local Medicaid managed care system. Although the systems change protocol included a number of strategies for enhancing communication at all levels of care, variations in health information technology (HIT) capacities and/or capabilities across initiative partners frequently prevented optimal implementation of these strategies. Here, we present an overview of the results of the initiative, share insights from the collaborative regarding how HIT could have improved those results, and offer recommendations related to ways to effectively leverage HIT to integrate physical and behavioral health care.

The impact of a multimedia informational intervention on psychosocial adjustment among individuals with newly diagnosed breast or prostate cancer: A feasibility study

Objective To examine the impact of an 8-week cancer multimedia informational intervention on health-related outcomes among individuals newly diagnosed with cancer. Methods Using a pre-/post-quasi-experimental design, participants with breast or prostate cancer ( n = 250) were conveniently recruited from four oncology ambulatory clinics and completed questionnaires at three points (enrolment, 1–2 weeks post-intervention, and 3 months later). Results Repeated-measure analyses showed that, when compared to controls, the intervention significantly improved satisfaction with cancer information over time for women ( p < .001), prevented deterioration in functional quality of life ( p = .030) and marginally improved perceived oncologist informational support ( p = .051). There were no significant differences in psychosocial adjustment among men. Unlike previously suggested, the intervention did not have a differential impact according to levels of personal resources (self-esteem, mastery, and optimism). However, for all outcomes and regardless of group, participants high in personal resources reported better adjustment across time. Conclusion Even though the hypotheses were only partially supported, the findings provide preliminary evidence that multimedia interventions can be supportive. Practice implications With increasing numbers of new cancer diagnoses, cancer survivors and more limited health care resources, further research is needed to evaluate potential benefits of health information technology in providing support to individuals facing cancer.

Collecting And Sharing Data For Population Health: A New Paradigm

Health information technology (IT) has great potential to transform health care and inform population health goals in clinical research, quality measurement, and public safety. To fully realize the benefits of health IT for population health, we must focus on new models that maximize efficiency, encourage rapid learning, and protect patients' privacy. In this paper we explore the advantages of a networked model for analyzing population health information, providing several examples. Although broadening the use of networked models is challenging, the societal benefits of a networked model merit continued exploration and the development of workable solutions.

Health Information Technology: On The Fast Track At Last?

Health Information Technology: On The Fast Track At Last?

Costs And Benefits Of Health Information Technology: New Trends From The Literature

To understand what is new in health information technology (IT), we updated a systematic review of health IT with studies published during 2004-2007. From 4,683 titles, 179 met inclusion criteria. We identified a proliferation of patient-focused applications although little formal evaluation in this area; more descriptions of commercial electronic health records (EHRs) and health IT systems designed to run independently from EHRs; and proportionately fewer relevant studies from the health IT leaders. Accelerating the adoption of health IT will require greater public-private partnerships, new policies to address the misalignment of financial incentives, and a more robust evidence base regarding IT implementation.

Digital Quality of Life: Health Care

From rural India to state of-the-art hospitals in the United States, information technology (IT) is transforming and revolutionizing health care. Health care practitioners focus increasingly not just on doing something right but on doing the right thing - and doing the right thing in health care depends on the availability of good information. In the future, many of the improvements in health care will come not from better drugs or better doctors, but from better managing information. Indeed, we are on the cusp of witnessing a radical transformation of health care as health care practitioners and patients increasingly embrace the IT tools of the digital age. Already the effects of IT can be seen in the rise of new applications such as telemedicine and the growth of emerging fields such as bioinformatics. In fact, so much is happening that all the IT applications in health care-ranging from applications to streamline paperwork and business processes to extremely advanced clinical applications of IT to drive major medical innovations-are far too numerous to catalog. As discussed below, IT is helping provide four key benefits in health care: * reducing health care costs * increasing access to health information * improving the quality of health care * increasing access to health care Challenges to the adoption and use of health IT adoption, including economic barriers and interoperability issues, have slowed the digital transformation of the health care industry, particularly in the United States, but many of the benefits of health IT can already be found among early adopters. Many health IT applications are still in the early stages of development where their benefits have been tested and proven but have not yet been scaled. Efforts to quantify the benefits of emerging health IT applications are nascent. Researchers have tried to measure the success of health IT applications. But many researchers focus on only one metric of their success-such as user acceptance, economic benefits, usefulness, or improvement in patient safety-rather than conducting a comprehensive evaluation. It is important to note that evaluative studies of health IT with negative findings may reflect an improper implementation of a technology rather than a problem with the technology itself. It is also important to recognize that case studies of health IT with positive findings may be difficult to generalize to a broader context. Even with these caveats, however, available research overwhelmingly points to a future where improvements in IT will continue to open new opportunities for advancements in health care.

Information Technology Comes to Medicine

This Health Policy Report explores the risks and benefits of health information technology, how policymakers are encouraging and managing its dissemination, and what the future holds for health information technology in U.S. medicine.

Can Electronic Medical Record Systems Transform Health Care? Potential Health Benefits, Savings, And Costs

To broadly examine the potential health and financial benefits of health information technology (HIT), this paper compares health care with the use of IT in other industries. It estimates potential savings and costs of widespread adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems, models important health and safety benefits, and concludes that effective EMR implementation and networking could eventually save more than $81 billion annually--by improving health care efficiency and safety--and that HIT-enabled prevention and management of chronic disease could eventually double those savings while increasing health and other social benefits. However, this is unlikely to be realized without related changes to the health care system.