RUNNING HEAD: Healthcare Information Systems 1

Healthcare Information Systems

Students Name

University/College
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Since the advent of the internet and technology improvements, there has been an

increased use of technology in healthcare and in the provision of services. Healthcare

Information systems (HIS) have evolved to integrate technologies due to the benefits that arise.

HIS has evolved to rely on the internet to improve the provision of healthcare services, while

ensuring that treatment outcomes will improve. HIS refers to the interaction between

technology, processes and people to support the operations and management (Mitton, Dionne, &

Donaldson, 2014). This is essential to meet the needs of a hospital. HIS is essential in nursing,

and it improves patient outcomes while making work easer for nurses and caregivers.

The nature of the healthcare industry has evolved with time. It was initially a stable

industry, but it has evolved into a dynamic one that has improved due to the use of different

technologies. In a hospital, HIS comprise systems that provide information and knowledge and

also collected vital data. Some important terminology related to the topic include is NANDA

(North American Nursing Diagnosis Association) that providers for standardization in the use of

His. The second terminology is EMR (Electronic medical records). This is a medical record

where information about patients is stored and can be retrieved. The information is often

accessible via computers located to a local network in a hospital or a wider network that caters to

several hospitals (Weaver, Ball, Kim, & Kiel, 2015). In HIS, an important issue is how to

manage the relationships between patients and caregivers. Encouraging a good and positive

relationship with retain the patients (customer). This creates mutual satisfaction, trust and

understanding. This also allows the patients to take part in decision making processes in the

hospital.

Functions
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HIS serves a myriad of purposes and is used to cover the entire healthcare system. It also

stakeholders and decision-makers to identify needs and problems, make evidence-based

conclusions and allocate resources within the health system. The information collected from

varying sources of the healthcare system is used to ensure that the system is working effectively

(Chapman, Kern, & Laguecir, 2014). It relies on various levels outlined below:

Individual

This is the individual level information. It contains data about various variable such as

healthcare needs, patient history and profile and treatment provided as the basis for making

decisions. These records are used to make healthcare choices that are suitable for the individual.

It considers their history, preferences and ways to improve on the outcomes. Issues can often

arise in cases where the nurse is burdened by reporting demands and excessive data form several

but poorly coordinated information systems (Chapman, Kern, & Laguecir, 2014).

Health facility

This is information about the medical facility or a location that provides healthcare

services. This data arises form administrative sources like drug procurement data and

accumulated facility-level data. It allows healthcare providers to predict resources, in making

purchasing choiceness on supplies, equipment and drugs, and also in development in community

outreach programs. The information form health facilities are used to detail ongoing and

immediate information that is applicable in making decisions about public health. The

information should be of high quality, and it should detail information from both private and

public facilities (Mitton, Dionne, & Donaldson, 2014). Essentially, it represents the services that

are available for the general population.

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Population

The data is also based on a population level. In this case, the information is essential for

both individual who rely on the health services and also those who do not use these services. The

information is often collected form surveys that comprises respondents who have used the

healthcare system and those that have not. This information is often limited in quality in

developing countries, but it would provide vital information about the healthcare system. The

surveys will provide data about the beliefs, practices and behaviors which are essential

determinants of health status and usage of healthcare services (Mitton, Dionne, & Donaldson,

2014).

Public health surveillance

This stage entails combination and analysis of data from both communities and facilities.

The main goal is to determine issues with the system, and then providing a quick foundation for

action. This can be applicable where there is need for a quick response to a particular issue in the

health system (Mitton, Dionne, & Donaldson, 2014). For instance, when epidemics arise, it is

imperative to make quick decisions to deal with the issue swiftly. The need for response and

making timely reports, and the need for beneficial linkages to those tasked with making

decisions in regards to disease control, leads to additional requirements on the HIS.

Indicators of system performance

The indicators of the HIS performance relies on two broad categories. The first relies on

the capacity to synthesis, examine and authenticate information. The second relies on the

indicators of information generation that relies on methods and core sources such as resource

tracking, facility reporting, census, civil registrations and health surveys. The indicators of
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information generation detail the capacity to collect applicable data at suitable intervals and

relying on the most applicable data sources. The benchmarks that can be used relies on

availability of data based on key indicators, timeliness, periodicity, and the content arising from

the collection efforts. The NANDA relies on this information to ensure that the health system is

working as required, and that the outcomes are improved (Weaver, Ball, Kim, & Kiel, 2015).

Evolution

As the years passed, a large number of healthcare providers have implemented systems

that have improved or relied on automation, especially in administrative and clinical contexts.

This has led to an increase in digitized data. Even though the data was not meant to deal

specifically with patient health information, it is essential in improve operational performance in

the organization. The information is then merged and analyzed with other information that does

not involve transactions.

The HIS has also focused on reporting. Reporting systems are already in place as part of

the transaction systems. Historically, this form of reporting mechanism contains snapshots of

data about the hospital. This information can then be sued by the hospital board, management

and other groups as a means to achieve regulatory requirements (Mitton, Dionne, & Donaldson,

2014).

Future trends

Currently, many healthcare organizations rely on ICT. Essentially, they rely on

information streamline and process application to improve treatment outcomes and improve on

their delivery of services. The goal for a paperless hospital is to bring improvements to hospitals.

It also guarantees that hospitals will be more efficient and effective. The World Health
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Organization (WHO) carried out a survey on HIS to determine its relevance in many countries.

Even though the Who has 193 countries as members, only 114 participated. The data shows that

the developed countries already relies on HIS. It arises from the fact that they have the capital,

resources and expertise to implement them. In developing countries, the HIS has not been fully

integrated. The use of ICT in hospitals has developed in the same pattern as other industries

(Weaver, Ball, Kim, & Kiel, 2015). The use of network infrastructure, database management and

web technology systems are part of ICT that will affect healthcare administration and practice.

There has been a slow adoption of e-health systems such as the use of EMR which entails

converting paper to electronic files. This is essential to make it easier to locate and retrieve

articular data. An issue to note is that people have become more involved in health care. They

participate in legislature that guides the development of health systems. This trend leads to a shift

from health-institution centered approach to citizen-centered approach. It also supports the

continuity of care from just prevention to rehabilitation. This goal is attained via shared care that

builds on the primary care, laboratories, and health telematics which allow individuals to have a

virtual healthcare that can be accessed from a single point. Additionally, this vision suggests that

the provision of healthcare services will move to homes through the use of innovative strategies

such as support systems, personal health analysis and monitoring (Chapman, Kern, & Laguecir,

2014). Moreover, it depends on user-friendly system that support health education and

awareness.

In conclusion, HIS have been evolving over the years. Many hospitals and care providers

are reliant on ICT to improve the provision of services in hospital. HIS relies on data that can be

accessed form the individual, healthcare facility or even the general population. This information

is used by stakeholders or caregivers to understand the current conditions of the healthcare

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system. It also provides information that is used decision making processes. The HIS will

continue to evolve, and caregivers will remain reliant on patient data or information on a myriad

of health issues.
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References

Chapman, C., Kern, A., & Laguecir, A. (2014). Costing Practices in Healthcare. Accounting

Horizons, 28(2), 353-364.

Mitton, C., Dionne, F., & Donaldson, C. (2014). Managing healthcare budgets in times of

austerity: The role of program budgeting and marginal analysis. Applied Health

Economics and Health Policy, 12(2), 95102.

Weaver, C. A., Ball, M. J., Kim, G. R., & Kiel, J. M. (2015). Healthcare Information

Management Systems: Cases, Strategies, and Solutions. New York: Springer.