Many nations are highly concerned about the quality of health offered to their citizens because productivity of a nation directly depends on good health. Different policies and programs have been instituted to put into check the quality of health care by different states as well as the federal government.
With computer technology having its effects, every sector of the economy is computerizing its systems. Most processes in various departments are executed entirely with the help of computers. The health sector has also had much of its activities computerized. Consequently, information systems have become very crucial in the health care sector given that they have the ability of improving the quality of health care that patients receive.
It is important to note that information systems in health care play a very crucial role. Nevertheless, information systems that are implemented in the health care sector should meet the requirements of the federal state, the local authorities as well as the individual institutional requirements (Beaver, 2003).
It should be noted that each stakeholder in the health care sector has different requirements which have to be harmonized for the improvement of services offered to patients. However, harmonizing these needs proves to be daunting task leading to complexities in service delivery. Information systems provide a solution through which requirements of various stakeholders can be met.
The health care sector has been faced with very many challenges which have compromised the quality of health care that patients receive. Majorly, there have been concerns about the rising costs of health care in many nations. These have reduced the number of people who could afford even the basic health care services (Smith, 2007).
Moreover, cases of medical errors have been on the rise. On the same note, shortages of health care professionals coupled with inconsistent quality have made many people concerned about the future of health care quality. Arguably, addressing these challenges that face the health care sector will improve quality of health care.
Information systems come in handy to help in addressing these challenges (Beaver, 2003). Information systems have been able to reduce significantly medical errors as well as the time taken for patients to receive drugs prescribed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Health information has to be transmitted and shared between the relevant stakeholders for accurate records about a patient’s past medical history. Notably, manual record keeping and getting information from the patient is not very reliable. Information systems are very essential in ensuring accessibility of medical information whenever needed while at the same time integrating new technologies into the health care sector (Smith, 2007).
In a nutshell, the main aim of information system is to ensure that the patients’ data is accurately collected, safely and securely stored as well as ensuring that the data is accessible when it is required by any authorized persons.
Notably, advantages of implementing information systems in the health care sector are many. To begin with, information systems allow not only accurate, but also detailed medical records that can be easily accessible. Moreover, information systems eliminate the difficulties brought about by illegible handwritings.
These records are usually comprehensive because they include all the tests as well as diagnoses done on the patient (Johns, 2002). This is an important step towards disease management as well as prevention of medical errors thus leading to high quality health care.
Information systems also enable collection, management and electronic sharing of health information among individuals and health service providers. On the same note, through the use of various services offered by information technology, consumers are able to manage their own health records.
Moreover, information systems have led to enhanced health care by providing patients’ information regarding medical history, allergies and treatments (Johns, 2002). Consequently, information systems have enhanced the safety of patients thus enhancing health care quality. Similarly, information technology has improved management process thus increasing efficiency in the health care sector.
Moreover, implementation of information systems in the health care sector will lead to a reduction in the cost of health care. Therefore, many citizens will be able to afford high standard healthcare and conveniently pay for their hospital bills making the nation healthier.
Similarly, with good and affordable medical insurance which results from quality health care, more people are bound to be insured. As a result, the number of people who are able to access health care whenever need arises is increased (Smith, 2007). On the same note, information systems will lead to accurate diagnosis of diseases and this will reduce the chances of revisiting health facilities thus further reducing costs of health care.
It is important to note that health care information system is more than just computerized software and hardware. It should involve guidelines on how clinical procedures should be carried out. On the same note, the information systems on the health care sector should integrate services of various sections including laboratory, pharmacy, diagnostic imaging and other services that are required.
Consequently, information systems used in the health care sector can be divided into administrative information system and clinical information system. Administrative information system takes care of the administrative and the financial issues while clinical information system contains health-related information about patients.
It should be noted that though information systems are crucial in the health care sector, there are some issues that require attention especially with the changing technology. Given the fact that health care sector is very fragmented, there is need for an integrated system. System integration in the health sector will allow interconnection of complex information usually from different sources (Johns, 2002).
This will increase the ability of different practitioners in the medical field to easily access information about their patients thus enhancing quality of health care. On the same note, system integration will lead to better management of patients’ health conditions because they will be able to communicate with the right people.
This will not only enhance quality, but also efficiency in health care provision. Similarly, system integration leads to improved communication between various health care providers. Increased interpersonal communication is crucial for high quality health care.
Similarly, with increased internet access to many people and advance in mobile technologies, in future it will be able to get medical information without visiting a doctor. Moreover, the advancement in other forms of technology is impacting on information systems of health care and it would be vital to incorporate the technological trends in health care information systems (Johns, 2002).
Social networks are also changing the way health care information is spread among people which will require health care information systems to include social networks. The wireless technology is also taking root and this will require demonstration of the benefits they have on the general health care sector as a whole.
Similarly, wireless technology is highly susceptible to hacking which brings the question of health information confidentiality to the fore (Beaver, 2003). As a result, the future of health care information systems is highly oblique and the sector has to be prepared for any eventuality.
The information gained in this course will enable me to know the value of information systems in the health care sector. Moreover, I will be able to use the information gained during this course to evaluate a good information system that can be implemented in any health care facility to enhance quality of health care.
Similarly, gaining information about the importance and the role of information system in the health care sector will enable me to be in a position of advocating for implementation of information systems in health care facilities.
Doctors, physicians, nurses and other health care providers need to share information despite their geographical distances. People have to move from one place to another and they do not have to visit the same health care providers always. There should be a way through which information systems serving different clientele can be harmonized such that some or all the information from one party can be accessed by other parties.
This involves premium, interdepartmental and state-of-the-art interconnection which allows harmonious functioning. Therefore, information sharing is crucial and this can only be achieved by system integration. Consequently, system integration cannot be assumed whenever information technology in health care is discussed.
Ultimately, quality health care is a duty of every person. Information dissemination and storage plays a crucial role in enhancing quality of health care. It should be noted, however, that despite the many advantages of information systems, their implementation in various health care facilities has been slow arguably due to the high cost of implementing them.
References
Beaver, K. (2003). Healthcare Information systems. New York: Auerbach Publishers.
Johns, M. L. (2002). Information Management for Health Professional. Stanford: Cengage Learning.
Smith, A. L. (2007). Integrated Healthcare information Systems: Physician Based Information Systems. Raleigh: Lulu Publishers.