It article focuses on steps taken in translating the theory of evidence-based health informatics to practice. In this article, Rigby et al. (2016) want to demonstrate and promote the benefits for the application of the scientific process in the design and implementation of health IT. They used global experts’ reviews to achieve their study’s objective. The experts are linked to the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA). Important topics discussed in this article include detection and mitigation of health informatics’ safety issues, health technology assessment (HTA), and indicators of e-health progress.
Patients’ harm prevention requires health care providers to translate evidence into practice and policy. Although health informatics have numerous benefits, they can disrupt healthcare delivery, risking patient safety (Rigby et al., 2016). Therefore, it is essential to address safety issues associated with the technology. The strategies proposed in this article to mitigate the safety issues include installation of safety management systems, setting standards, provision of guidelines and regulations, certification, and use of emergency safety issues’ surveillance.
Safety management systems can help identify and alleviate risks throughout health informatics’ life cycle. Operational standards using the technologies can allow the management of clinical risks related to the design and implementation of health IT. Guidelines are important because they direct healthcare providers on how to use health informatics without jeopardizing patients’ safety. Equally, it is essential to have government agencies that regulate and certify technologies used in healthcare delivery. Also, facilities using health informatics should have a mechanism for monitoring and reporting incidences linked to the technologies to promote patient safety.
HTA involves the evaluation of health technology’s features and effects to address its direct and unintended impacts. Additionally, the process helps address indirect and unplanned consequences of health technology, facilitating informed decision-making. Sedig et al. (2017) indicate that health informatics provide high-quality information needed in decision-making for evidence-based healthcare delivery. The common indicators of e-health progress identified in this research article include the healthcare system’s efficiency, improvement and care quality, as well as the equity of access to services. These indicators are important because they determine whether the evidence-based application of health informatics has positive impacts on the delivery of healthcare or not. The authors conclude that the use of scientifically valid evidence in the implementation of health informatics is vital because it can help know actual benefits, risks, as well as effects.
References
Rigby, M., Magrabi, F., Scott, P., Doupi, P., Hypponen, H., & Ammenwerth, E. (2016). Steps in moving evidence-based health informatics from theory to practice. Healthcare Informatics Research, 22(4), 255. Web.
Sedig, K., Naimi, A., & Haggerty, N. (2017). Aligning information technologies with evidence-based health-care activities: A design and evaluation framework. Human Technology, 13(2), 180-215. Web.