Health Information System (HIS) refers to “a system that can acquire, manage, transmit, and store data and information such as the health of patients and activities of health facilities” (Fichman, Kohli, & Krishnan, 2011, p. 419). Information systems play a significant role in every healthcare setting. Such systems have been “evolving with every technology change” (AbouZahr & Boerma, 2005, p. 582).
The 1800s
The first medical machines emerged during the 19th century. However, such primitive machines did not contribute a lot to the improvement of HIS. The main technological inventions included probes and scalpels (Fichman et al., 2011). Electrotherapy machines were also invented during this century.
The 1900s-1940s
This period was “characterized by various assistive technologies such as hearing aids, pacemakers, and ventilators” (Aghazadeh, Aliyev, & Ebrahimnezhad, 2012, p. 866). X-ray machines also developed during the same period (AbouZahr & Boerma, 2005).
The 1940s-1960s
During this period, computers became common thus pioneering new changes in healthcare practice. Medicaid and Medicare in the United States promoted the acquisition of mainframe computers. Such computers made it for “different hospitals to share their accounting systems” (Aghazadeh et al., 2012, p. 869).
The 1970s
The concept of effective communication between healthcare departments became evident during the 1970s. New applications “such as results reviews and order communications were developed” (Grandia, 2015, para. 3). New transaction systems became evident thus improving the level of healthcare communication (Grandia, 2015).
The 1980s
Throughout the 1980s, many facilities wanted to monitor their financial and clinical information. Networking solutions were used “thus making it easier for hospitals to integrate their applications” (Grandia, 2015, para. 3). Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) “became the best statistical systems for classifying inpatient-stay thus improving the level of financial management” (Grandia, 2015, para. 4).
The 1990s
New technologies were also innovated throughout the 1990s. During the time, “medical institutions and information technologists collaborated to produce distributed computing systems (DCSs)” (Aghazadeh et al., 2012, p. 869). New networks were developed thus making it easier for clinics to integrate and manage their health activities. Integrated delivery networks (IDN) were developed to improve the nature of communication, decision-making, and service delivery (Aghazadeh et al., 2012).
The 2000s
This century was “characterized by the need for outcome-based reimbursements” (Grandia, 2015, para. 6). Bedside technologies and clinical applications also became common. As well, “real-time clinical decision support materialized to improve the speed of care availed to different patients” (Grandia, 2015, para. 6). Departmental systems were integrated using Electronic Medical Records (EMRs). It is also notable that “analytics solutions and data warehousing played a major role towards supporting the effectiveness of health information systems” (Grandia, 2015, para. 7).
2010-2015
Many healthcare facilities are focusing on the benefits of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). The need “for quality-and-cost control systems is on the rise” (Grandia, 2015, para. 7). HIS is being used to improve the quality of personal care (Grandia, 2015). HIT is also “promoting the implementation of Operational Data Systems (ODSs) and EMRs to produce pervasive clinical decision support (CDS)” (AbouZahr & Boerma, 2005, p. 580). Effective CDS is “determined by the superiority of the acquired Enterprise Analytics Solution (EAS) within the HIS framework” (Grandia, 2015, para. 6).
The Future
Healthcare institutions are “expecting HIS to enhance and support reliable operations systems for effective medical care” (Grandia, 2015, para. 8). Such HIS systems will also offer instantaneous access to information via modern analytics and data warehousing. These strategies will improve the integrity of such systems and eventually promote the quality of patient support.
Reference List
AbouZahr, C., & Boerma, T. (2005). Health information systems: the foundations of public health. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 83(8), 578-583.
Aghazadeh, S., Aliyev, A., & Ebrahimnezhad, M. (2012). Review the Role of Hospital Information Systems in Medical Services Development. International Journal of Computer Theory and Engineering, 6(4), 866-870.
Fichman, R., Kohli, R., & Krishnan, R. (2011). The Role of Information Systems in Healthcare: Current Research and Future Trends. Information Systems Research, 22(3), 419-428.
Grandia, L. (2015). Healthcare Information Systems: A Look at the Past, Present, and Future. Web.