Effect of Health Information Technology †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Effect of Health Information Technology. Answer: Introduction: The case study presented in here highlights the issues pertaining to lack of systematic flow of healthcare information among the care system. The issues presented in the case study are multivariate. Firstly, the primary care physician carried out the pregnancy test with the similar test to that used by Jade at home, which is a urine test. Pregnancy diagnostic tests should have been carried out at the unit with advanced procedures that confirm pregnancy. Further, Jade was required to answer the assessment form for risk factors without the consultation of her mother. As a result she could not provide with the information regarding her familys reproductive history. It is crucial for providing the familys reproductive history for accurate risk assessment procedure in pregnancy. In addition, Jade was sent for undergoing blood tests in a nearby hospital as the polyclinic did not have provision for blood tests. This is of much inconvenience to the patient. The main concern lies in the fact that Jade had to repeat the registration process at te main hospital since there was no provision for direct flow of patient information between the two healthcare units. Due to lack of planning, Jade was unable to undergo the required procedure for cystic fibrosis test. Information and communication technology (ICT) is the convergence of networks for better transfer and storage of information. ICT can be applied effectively in the healthcare system for improving patient care through appropriate healthcare delivery. Through efficient applications, ICTs improve system efficiency (Manojlovich et al., 2015). In the present case, ICT is to be applied in the form of Electronic Health Record (EHR) that has gained immense popularity in the recent past due to its advantages. An electronic health record is the systematized collection of patient and population electronically stored health information in a digital format. The records containing the patients health information can be shared across the different healthcare settings. The use of enterprise-wide, network-connected information system can facilitate sharing of information. HER systems are used for designing storage of data in an accurate manner and capturing the patients state across time (Adler-Milst ein et al., 2015.). Further, use of telephones would have been appropriate in the present case for communicating between two healthcare professionals. Telephone communication between care providers is an important tool for improving access to care for patients. A telephonic connection between the receptionist at the polyclinic and the phlebotomist would be appropriate so that they can communicate regarding the planning of patient services. In addition, use of the internet, in the form of e-mail is useful for providing patients with assessment forms that they can fill up as per their convenience at their homes. This would promote better extraction of patient data within short span of time (Abdelhak et al., 2014). The benefits of using ICT in relation to EHR, telephonic system and e-mail would be significant. The most striking advantage would be the ability to develop and maintain systems for capturing, storing and organizing medical and peripheral data of the patient (Wager et al., 2017). The redesign outlined would promote time savings and reduction of efforts of the patients. Further, the financial benefits of the system would be huge as the costs for unnecessary delay processes would be reduced. With the help of HER, patient data can be directly transferred between care settings which are of convenience for the patient. The procedure would reduce the chances of incorrect information transfer. When telephonic communication takes place between two professionals such as the receptionist at polyclinic and phlebotomist, services can be arranged so that the patient does not need to suffer inconvenience (Silver, 2015). Patient accessibility is also an advantage in this regard. Patients can adhere to required care guideline in a proactive manner. Using applications such as e-mail would help in communicating maximal information to the healthcare professional. The patient can stay in contact with the professional and update on the further referral processes (Abdelhak et al., 2014). The potential of using ICT in healthcare is immense; nevertheless, the possible challenges in implementing the same are also relevant. The first challenge would be a point to point integration. Integration systems have to be custom built for the healthcare system that uses it, and thus a tangled web of connection might occur. The technical ability of the care professionals might pose a hindrance. The use of EHR might be expensive under certain conditions. Proper financial support is required in this regard. At the time of implementation, training is to be provided to the care professionals so that they become acquainted with the new system. This would require additional efforts and resources apart from time. Finding the expenses to invest in support, training and the physical infrastructure might act as a common barrier. The concern of information privacy also remains. The issues in this regard include loss of information, cyber hacking, and inappropriate use of patient information w ithout consent (Wager et al., 2017). References Abdelhak, M., Grostick, S., Hanken, M. A. (2014).Health Information-E-Book: Management of a Strategic Resource. Elsevier Health Sciences. Adler-Milstein, J., DesRoches, C. M., Kralovec, P., Foster, G., Worzala, C., Charles, D., ... Jha, A. K. (2015). Electronic health record adoption in US hospitals: progress continues, but challenges persist.Health Affairs,34(12), 2174-2180. Manojlovich, M., Adler-Milstein, J., Harrod, M., Sales, A., Hofer, T. P., Saint, S., Krein, S. L. (2015). The effect of health information technology on health care provider communication: a mixed-method protocol.JMIR research protocols,4(2). Silver, M. P. (2015). Patient perspectives on online health information and communication with doctors: a qualitative study of patients 50 years old and over.Journal of medical Internet research,17(1). Wager, K. A., Lee, F. W., Glaser, J. P. (2017).Health care information systems: a practical approach for health care management. John Wiley Sons.