Introduction
As technology advances, the health care centers have diverted to using computers in diagnosing various diseases. The use of information systems has grown significantly in the last couple of years though its development dates back to the early 1960s. This has been enabled by the current technological advancement. It has become increasingly possible for the health practitioners to diagnose diseases due to these information systems. The practitioners are also able to get significant information regarding the health problems, and this arms them with a wealth of knowledge (Conrick, 2005). This paper is going to analyze the various aspects on health information systems. It is going to define the meaning of the term health information systems, highlight some of its advantages and benefits, and how it developed. It will also reflect on how this information system is being used. The paper will also point out on who benefits from these systems.
Health informatics
This can also be referred as health information system. It refers to the use of information system in the medical field. It is the use of computerized equipment in processing data related to health problems, storage of information in the computer systems, and getting health information from the computer systems (Conrick, 2005).
Beneficiaries of Healthcare Informatics
The use of health care informatics has mostly benefited the patients. This is because the patients can get better services from the doctors since the doctors are now significantly informed about the health problems when using the information systems. The doctors have also benefited from the development of these systems since they can acquire a lot of information about new developments in the field of medicine. The information can be accessed easily and cheaply.
Origin
The development of medical technology dates back to the 1950s. Gustav Wager was the one who introduced the use of information systems in the health organization in the year 1949, in Germany. Training programs on these systems started in the 1960s in countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, and Holland. The research centers, which used these information systems, were established in the 1970s, in the US and Poland. The development of the systems has been significant since the 1970s to date. It has advanced tremendously, and it continues to grow as more research on the same continues to be conducted (Conrick, 2005).
Use of health informatics
Health informatics has been used to acquire information about the developments in the field of medicine. They are also used in the laboratories to carry out clinical tests, as well as in conducting medical research. The informatics is also used in the diagnoses of various diseases (Conrick, 2005).
SLP
SLP refers to the Speech Language Pathology. With the development of the informatics systems, it will be possible to deliver services to patients while they are at home. Payments and acquisition of patients’ data will be made online (Johnson, 2007).
Current application in use
The current system was established during the 1970s in the United States. It has been developing day by day for the last three decades. It is still developing, and new advancements are being implemented as the technology advances. Homer R. Warner was one of the developers of this system in the year 1968 (Conrick, 2005).
Patient Demographics
This is the method of acquiring patient’s data. The data that are required about a patient includes his name, age, and sex among others. It is an application in the computer health information system. It gives a guideline on the personal information that the health practitioners need to acquire about the patient (Gloster, 2008).
Conclusion
The development of health information system has been of immense importance in the field of medicine. It has helped in the treatment of patients and made it easy to acquire, store, and revisit data regarding a patient. Its continuous development will be of utmost importance.
References
Conrick, M. (2005). Health informatics: Transforming healthcare with technology. Southbank, Vic: Thomson Learning Australia.
Gloster, H.M. (2008). Complications in cutaneous surgery. New York: Springer.
Johnson, A.F. (2007). Medical speech language pathology: A practitioner’s guide. New York: Thieme.