How to Use Health Information Technology

There are numerous reasons why the health care industry continues to invest in information technology. The cost of implementing upgraded hardware devices and new software applications are recovered through improved efficiency and quality of patient care, two major areas of concern in health care. In return, quality control and high patient satisfaction rates lead to increased market opportunities. Consequently, today's health care organizations find it necessary to keep pace with and make greater use of information technology.

Instructions

• 1

  Improve patient safety and decrease the number of medication errors. According to an article published in a September 2001 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, medication errors may be a major problem in children's health care, one which information technology can help to remedy (See Reference 1). Whether related to adult or pediatric medicine, or due to poor communication, a doctor's handwriting that is misinterpreted, or a drug's labeling or packaging, computerized physician order entries and medication bar coding systems are examples of technology now being used to help prevent medication errors.

• 2

  Enhance patient care. Information technology makes it easier and faster for doctors to prescribe medications, view lab and x-ray results and communicate with patients. In addition, health IT helps to identify individuals at high risk for certain chronic diseases, allowing for preventive care or intervention before more costly health care treatments become necessary. This is made possible by access to patient data from different sources, which can be assembled electronically and then shared by different health care organizations.

• 3

  Gain a competitive edge by streamlining administrative processes and increasing patient satisfaction. Home health monitoring is a recent niche market that allows patients and medical providers to transmit and receive health data such as vital signs remotely. More patients now can communicate with their doctors via the Internet to ask questions or seek advice without having to schedule frequent office appointments.

• 4

  Save money by increasing efficiency and cutting costs by allowing easier access to data. Information technology helps to reduce waste by freeing doctors and nurses from time-consuming paper tasks, giving them more time to deliver direct medical care to patients. Upgraded technology allows other hospital and clinic staff to make better use of their time as well.

• 5

  Develop electronic medical records offering health care providers anywhere detailed information about a patient. Because an electronic medical record stores all of a patient's information in one place and can be retrieved at any time, instant availability of a patient's medical information is a primary advantage. Information technology also allows costly duplication of medical information to be eliminated.

• 6

  Communicate information and knowledge at lower cost. Development of health information networks is a definite advantage as even competing health care organizations can collaborate for the benefit of patients. Another advantage for health consumers is that information technology allows individuals quick, easy access to reliable general health information.