Role Of Health Informatics Research Articles

The Evolution of Clinical Knowledge During COVID-19: Towards a Global Learning Health System.

SummaryObjectives: We examine the knowledge ecosystem of COVID-19, focusing on clinical knowledge and the role of health informatics as enabling technology. We argue for commitment to the model of a global learning health system to facilitate rapid knowledge translation supporting health care decision making in the face of emerging diseases. Methods and Results: We frame the evolution of knowledge in the COVID-19 crisis in terms of learning theory, and present a view of what has occurred during the pandemic to rapidly derive and share knowledge as an (underdeveloped) instance of a global learning health system. We identify the key role of information technologies for electronic data capture and data sharing, computational modelling, evidence synthesis, and knowledge dissemination. We further highlight gaps in the system and barriers to full realisation of an efficient and effective global learning health system. Conclusions: The need for a global knowledge ecosystem supporting rapid learning from clinical practice has become more apparent than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued effort to realise the vision of a global learning health system, including establishing effective approaches to data governance and ethics to support the system, is imperative to enable continuous improvement in our clinical care.

The Role of Health Informatics in Facilitating Communication Strategies for Community Health Workers in Clinical Settings: A Scoping Review.

Community health workers (CHWs) have been identified as effective members of health care teams in improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities, especially among racial and ethnic minorities. There is a growing interest in integrating CHWs into clinical settings using health informatics-based strategies to help provide coordinated patient care and foster health-promoting behaviors. In this scoping review, we outline health informatics-based strategies for CHW-provider communication that aim to improve integration of CHWs into clinical settings. A scoping review was conducted. US-based sources between 2013 and 2018 were eligible. Literature was identified through PubMed and Google queries and hand searching key reference lists. Articles were screened by title, abstract, and then full-text. Health informatics-based strategies for CHW-provider communication and their impacts on patient care were documented and analyzed. Thirty-one articles discussed health informatics-based strategies for CHW-provider communication and/or integration of CHWs into clinical settings. These strategies include direct CHW documentation of patient encounters in electronic health records (EHRs) and other Web-based applications. The technologies were used to document patient encounters and patient barriers to health care providers but were additionally used for secure messaging and referral systems. These strategies were found to meet the needs of providers and CHWs while facilitating CHW-provider communication, CHW integration, and coordinated care. Health informatics-based strategies for CHW-provider communication are important for facilitating CHW integration and potentially improving patient outcomes and improving disparities among minority populations. This integration can support the development of future disease prevention programs and health care policies in which CHWs are an established part of the public health workforce. However, further investigation must be done on overcoming implementation challenges (eg, lack of time or funding), especially in smaller resource-challenged community-based clinics that serve minority patients.

Cardiac and pulmonary emergencies: Protocols for effective management and treatment via pharmacists, emergency medical services, and the role of health informatics in future responses

Background: The aging population in the U.S. is rapidly increasing, with those aged 65 and older expected to reach 95 million in the next 40 years. This demographic shift leads to a higher prevalence of cardiopulmonary emergencies, which are commonly encountered in emergency departments (EDs). This paper explores four prevalent conditions—atrial fibrillation (AF), congestive heart failure (CHF), pulmonary embolism (PE), and pneumonia—and their specific considerations in elderly patients. Aim: To review the management protocols for these cardiopulmonary conditions in older adults and to highlight the unique challenges and considerations associated with their treatment and management via pharmacists and ED. The review also focus on the main role of health information system in the future responses to cardiac and pulmonary conditions. Methods: The study involves a comprehensive review of current literature on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of AF, CHF, PE, and pneumonia in elderly patients. The focus is on treatment protocols, diagnostic strategies, and the impact of age-related factors on disease management. Results: Effective management of these conditions requires tailored approaches due to age-related physiological changes. For AF, anticoagulation therapy is crucial but must be carefully balanced against bleeding risks.

E-Health in Public Health Care: Challenges and Opportunities

The role of Health Informatics is becoming significantly crucial in every part of the health sector. With rapid advancement in information technology during last decades, it is mandatory to the contribution of health informatics in improving various aspects of health care including patients care as well as public health care.[1] The main issues in providing patients care arise from an incomplete information, wasting time in collecting the information and duplicating investigations and treatment activities. Often care has to be manually coordinated with other health care providers and then exchanging the information which is inefficient and incomplete. There is a limited ability to interact with patients who reside remotely. In addition to above there are lot of difficulties in monitoring of adherence or response to treatment and medication.[1]....

Advancing the Responsible Use of Medicines: Applying Levers for Change

In light of increasing access to medicines worldwide due to the availability of generics, it is important to assess whether medicines add value in the context of the health system. Firstly, this research frames suboptimal medicine use within 9 distinct levers with relevance to developed and developing countries. These 9 levers include nonadherence, delayed medicine use, medication errors, antibiotic misuse/overuse, suboptimal generic use, mismanaged polypharmacy, medicine shortages, substandard/counterfeit medicines and misuse of expensive therapies. Secondly, the research quantifies the avoidable healthcare costs due to suboptimal medicine use for 6 primary levers across 186 countries: 500 billion USD (2011) in avoidable costs worldwide. Third, the report provides 18 distinct case studies from 12 different countries on how governments are taking action to improve the use of medicines. Finally, 50 recommendations are offered primarily to policymakers but also to providers, payers, pharmacists, patients, the pharmaceutical industry and other healthcare stakeholders. 5 key recommendations are prioritized as rapid time to impact, low investment level and high outcomes. The report includes a chapter on the role of health informatics in improving medicine use and related challenges for health policymakers. This report was conducted as a public service by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.

The role of health informatics in clinical audit: part of the problem or key to the solution?

The concepts of quality assurance (for which clinical audit is an essential part), evaluation and clinical governance each depend on the ability to derive and record measurements that describe clinical performance. Rapid IT developments have raised many new possibilities for managing health care. They have allowed for easier collection and processing of data in greater quantities. These developments have encouraged the growth of quality assurance as a key feature of health care delivery. In the past most of the emphasis has been on hospital information systems designed predominantly for the administration of patients and the management of financial performance. Large, hi-tech information system capacity does not guarantee quality information. The task of producing information that can be confidently used to monitor the quality of clinical care requires attention to key aspects of the design and operation of the audit. The Myocardial Infarction National Audit Project (MINAP) utilizes an IT-based system to collect and process data on large numbers of patients and make them readily available to contributing hospitals. The project shows that IT systems that employ rigorous health informatics methodologies can do much to improve the monitoring and provision of health care.

Education and health informatics

In this contribution, the role of health informatics in the medical curriculum is discussed. Firstly, trends in healthcare are presented that may have an impact on the use of IT in healthcare and consequently on education. Then, the traditional educational system is discussed and it is argued that the educational system should be changed. The problem-based approach is presented as an example of a new approach. The implications for education and training in health informatics are given. Given the lack of knowledge with respect to the basics of health informatics of both health professionals and students, attention has to be paid to learning materials. Both IT-EDUCTRA and NIGHTINGALE are presented as European projects that focus on education and training.

The strategic role of health informatics in integrated delivery systems.

Having accurate measures and high-quality health information is critically important for all providers today. Integrated delivery systems are faced with increasing demands for numerous redundant, sometimes conflicting, performance measurement and reporting data from managed care customers, regulators, and accreditors. When implemented independently within each organizational subunit, these measurement systems are costly and difficult to manage. Centralization of all measurement services can maximize the productivity of the costly resources required to deliver them and can achieve efficiencies, cost savings, and a better balance between internal and external resources while collecting information that is of a higher quality for managerial and clinical decision making.