Health Informatics: The What, Where, and When of a Diverse Sector

What is health informatics? According to the National Library of Medicine, it’s a field of study that evaluates the scientific data medical professionals use to support the critical decisions they make in the healthcare space. The field of health informatics can be broken down into numerous categories – from data privacy for patients to nursing informatics used by graduates of courses like RN to MSN NP programs.

This article aims to give readers a high-level understanding of health informatics – covering what it is, how it applies to various healthcare settings and situations, as well as when and why it’s relevant.

Health Informatics: What is it?

The field of health informatics studies and assesses medical data for the purpose of improving human health. It can be broken down into several areas of focus:

AI-Driven data analytics

In the healthcare system, the use of artificial intelligence to analyze medical data is already proving its merit in terms of improving patient experiences and outcomes. How is it doing this? Highly advanced programs and software can quantify huge amounts of medical data at extreme speeds – surpassing the ability of the human eye to do the same. As such, critical decisions relating to human health can be made more speedily, leading to better and faster treatment for patients.

Development of innovative healthcare technologies

Health informatics doesn’t just analyze medical data. The field of health informatics also focuses on utilizing existing healthcare knowledge to inform future innovations and support the development of new technologies that can further advance the medical space.

‘Cloud’-based healthcare systems

With the development of digital patient portals which provide easy access to treatment plans and medical details stored in the ‘Cloud’, dissemination of healthcare information is becoming more efficient than ever. An example of this technology in practice is the now widely-used healthcare system referred to as the ‘Electronic Health Record’ – which we will discuss in further detail shortly.

How does Health Informatics Apply to Healthcare Settings?

Arguably the most widely-known application of health informatics relates to the development of Electronic Health Records (EHR). The use of EHR technology is widespread in the medical space, as it allows patients and healthcare practitioners alike to easily access stored patient data. The information stored in EHR systems commonly outlines patients’ medical details such as the breakdowns of their health vitals, conditions that have been diagnosed, and also, the treatment plans that will be utilized to treat them.

Of course, the development of EHR technology is not without controversy – the ethical issue of patient privacy and confidentiality has been raised. For this reason, EHR systems such as Australia’s ‘My Health Record’ have given patients the option to ‘opt-out’ of digital storage of their medical details. Either way, ensuring the secure storage of confidential health information is paramount – and cybersecurity measures need to be stringently enforced to ensure that patient privacy is protected.

When and Why is Health Informatics Relevant?

There are several different applications of health informatics in the medical space, such as:

Nursing Informatics

Nursing practitioners must frequently engage with healthcare technology to be able to perform their roles. One example of nurse interaction with IT includes documenting patient health conditions and treatment plans via EHR. Another example is where nursing staff will digitally process patient documentation required for private health insurance purposes.

Clinical Informatics

The field of clinical informatics facilitates scientific inquiry into new ways IT can be applied to the healthcare space. Thanks to these studies, advances in the integration of medical technology in the healthcare sector are constantly occurring.

Health informatics is a diverse and fascinating field of study, one on which decision-making, problem-solving, and technological innovation in the medical space now depend heavily.

The development of new healthcare technologies via clinical informatics is one example of health informatics in practice. Other areas of focus include the use of AI-driven data analytics to lead scientific inquiry, as well as the integration of Cloud-based systems such as Electronic Health Records (EHR) into the healthcare sector.

Without a doubt, future advancements will continue to be made in the medical industry, thanks to healthcare informatics’ focus on integrating emerging technologies into the healthcare space.