Information Technology in the Health Sector

Information technology has many applications in the health care sector from maintaining and compiling patient records electronically to communicating between medical professionals and patients. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in the career field of medical records and technology are expected to grow much faster than the average jobs through 2018.

Features

• Information technology in health care includes using electronic health records (EHR) instead of paper files on patients. Information technology in health includes communication between medical workers and patients to coordinate a patient's care, particularly those who must see several specialists for serious conditions. Health information technology also includes access to databases on medical topics and pharmaceutical information.

Benefits

• Using information technology can lead to improved patient care, as patients can communicate with physicians and other health providers via the Internet and obtain more detailed information regarding their health from the convenience of home. Additionally, errors may be caught more easily using electronic records.

Considerations

• Information technology in health care also reduces costs and improves access to health care; however, implementation of information technology in health is lagging behind the capability.