Within the context of modern digitization, it should not be surprising that healthcare facilities also seek to implement technological solutions to facilitate data transition. Fast exchange of information is an ever-present requirement of any medical services provider. Not only does it provide convenience, but it also accelerates the treatment process. My facility also takes advantage of healthcare informatics by using it to collect patient data, keep medical records, and maintain communication with them.
The primary function of healthcare informatics in my department is to facilitate communication with patients. Both doctors and patients need to exchange information to each other. Before treatment can be prescribed, a visit has to be scheduled. The internet technology allows patients to communicate directly with the facility without physically being present there. It saves time for both sides, while optimizing the information exchange and keeping track of patient activities in electronic records. Furthermore, record keeping is also an important function of healthcare informatics, as it is faster and more reliable than manual inputting.
The specific data obtained through the use of healthcare informatics is information regarding patients’ interactions with the facility. Healthcare services are accompanied by a number of technical necessities, such as doctor visits, prescriptions, test results, and other data that has to be compiled by managed service providers. Once such raw data is accumulated, it is converted into statistics that shows the frequency of patient visits, efficiency of treatment, and health outcomes.
The primary type of software used in my department is N-able. It is a remote monitoring and management tool that accumulates data from workstations and stores it in the cloud. Thus, it ensures that all computers in the facility are connected to the same network and data storage. N-able keeps track of patient data and synthesizes it into electronic documentation, such as patient medical history. It also provides insight into the amount of time that doctors spend on patients, thus allowing to ascertain the most complicated cases.
Naturally, all such data is highly sensitive requiring the healthcare provider to take measures to ensure patient confidentiality. Intranet is a private network used by organizations to protect inside information (Kotoulas et al., 2019). It also provides employees with a single and encrypted communicative network. Finally, Intranet serves as a document management system that standardizes all textual input. Although my facility does not support it, Intranet is an effective organization management tool.
My facility relies on computers as the main type of hardware. In order for management software to run smoothly, it has to be installed on a physical server in metal environment. The server is a data center, where all facility information is sent. All personal computers used by doctors and the administrative personnel are connected to the server. The resulting network is secure because it is physically isolated and cannot be accessed from outside.
The most frequent use of medical software is processing electronic documentation. It accumulates all data regarding patients’ interactions with the facility. Doctors access the documentation to acquaint themselves with patients’ medical history and the duration of their overall treatment process. The facility also uses NANDA-I as a standardized terminology, which provides the highest diagnostic accuracy (Fennelly et al., 2021). As a result, all documentation is digitized, with electronic patient records being the most important function executed by healthcare informatics.
References
Fennelly, O., Grogan, L., Reed, A., & Hardiker, N. R. (2021). Use of standardized terminologies in clinical practice: A scoping review. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 149(104431), 1-11. Web.
Kotoulas, A., Stratis, I., Goumenidis, T., Lambrou, G., & Koutsouris, D. D. (2019). Short-term adoption rates for a web-based portal within the intranet of a hospital information system. BMJ Health & Care Informatics, 26(1). Web.