Introduction
Digitalization and the integration of information and communication technologies in all spheres of human life are omnipresent; health care benefits from such a technological shift as well. Health informatics is an intersection of computer and information technologies with health systems that are aimed at facilitating healthcare opportunities (Hurley, 2012). This discussion board post is designed to define and describe health informatics as a broad but essential concept.
Health informatics
In particular, health informatics is a set of processes and methods of working with health-related data that improves care delivery to patients. Another definition of health informatics holds that it is as follows: “using information technology helps a person extend their cognitive capacity” (Hurley, 2012, 00:00:31-00:00:37). This statement implies that health informatics is a body of multifaceted knowledge that helps healthcare workers and all other people process large volumes of tools and data to improve their health. Indeed, the application of health informatics has become beneficial for organizations and patients since it has facilitated the way people think about health (Hurley, 2012). Practically speaking, former ways of perceiving health care delivery were associated with the communication between a doctor and a patient in an office with a doctor’s handwritten prescription given to the patient. However, with the integration of health informatics, health care reaches beyond a doctor’s office and requires evidence-based, interdisciplinary decisions with legible and clear justification.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the definition and description of health informatics have demonstrated that this concept implies both health systems and computer technologies. It aims to achieve performance excellence in health care professionals to facilitate patient outcomes. Moreover, health informatics allows for expanding health opportunities for all individuals by processing and disseminating tentative health information. Overall, health informatics is a pivotal aspect of the contemporary healthcare industry that strives for the elimination of drawbacks in services.
Reference
Hurley, K. (2012). What is health informatics? [Video]. YouTube.