Public Health Informatics And Information Systems

This revised edition covers all aspects of public health informatics and discusses the creation and management of an information technology infrastructure that is essential in linking state and local organizations in their efforts to gather data for the surveillance and prevention. Public health officials will have to understand basic principles of information resource management in order to make the appropriate technology choices that will guide the future of their organizations. Public health continues to be at the forefront of modern medicine, given the importance of implementing a population-based health approach and to addressing chronic health conditions. This book provides informatics principles and examples of practice in a public health context. In doing so, it clarifies the ways in which newer information technologies will improve individual and community health status. This book's primary purpose is to consolidate key information and promote a strategic approach to information systems and development, making it a resource for use by faculty and students of public health, as well as the practicing public health professional. Chapter highlights include: The Governmental and Legislative Context of Informatics; Assessing the Value of Information Systems; Ethics, Information Technology, and Public Health; and Privacy, Confidentiality, and Security. Review questions are featured at the end of every chapter. Aside from its use for public health professionals, the book will be used by schools of public health, clinical and public health nurses and students, schools of social work, allied health, and environmental sciences.

Let us not go over the old ground, let us rather prepare for what is to come. —Marcus Tullius Cicero Improvements in the health status of communities depend on effective public health and healthcare infrastructures. These infrastructures are increasingly electronic and tied to the Internet. Incorporating emerging technologies into the service of the community has become a required task for every public health leader. The revolution in information technology challenges every sector of the health enterprise. Individuals, care providers, and public health agencies can all benefit as we reshape public health through the adoption of new infor- tion systems, use of electronic methods for disease surveillance, and refor- tion of outmoded processes. However, realizing the benefits will be neither easy nor inexpensive. Technological innovation brings the promise of new ways of improving health. Individuals have become more involved in knowing about, and managing and improving, their own health through Internet access. Similarly, healthcare p- viders are transforming the ways in which they assess, treat, and document - tient care through their use of new technologies. For example, point-of-care and palm-type devices will soon be capable of uniquely identifying patients, s- porting patient care, and documenting treatment simply and efficiently.

Global Health Informatics: How Information Technology Can Change Our Lives in a Globalized World discusses the critical role of information and communication technologies in health practice, health systems management and research in increasingly interconnected societies. In a global interconnected world the old standalone institutional information systems have proved to be inadequate for patient-centered care provided by multiple providers, for the early detection and response to emerging and re-emerging diseases, and to guide population-oriented public health interventions. The book reviews pertinent aspects and successful current experiences related to standards for health information systems; digital systems as a support for decision making, diagnosis and therapy; professional and client education and training; health systems operation; and intergovernmental collaboration. Discusses how standalone systems can compromise health care in globalized world Provides information on how information and communication technologies (ICT) can support diagnose, treatment, and prevention of emerging and re-emerging diseases Presents case studies about integrated information and how and why to share data can facilitate governance and strategies to improve life conditions

The effective and efficient management of healthcare institutions is key to the successful development of national health systems. In an increasingly digital society, the skills involved in health information management become a primary factor in ensuring this development. Employment is projected to grow in all areas of healthcare, but especially in those related to information management, such as applied informatics, public health informatics and medical informatics. This book, Health Information Management: Empowering Public Health, aims to provide a clear and comprehensive introduction to the study and development of health information management. It is designed for use by university and vocational courses to train allied health professionals. It can also be used as an in-service training tool for new healthcare-facility personnel, for those working in government healthcare institutions, independent billing and health assurance services, or individually by health information specialists. The book describes health information management, and explains how it merges the fields of health care and information technology. Readers will learn logical thinking and communication, and will be introduced to the organizational processes in healthcare institutions, as well as finding out how to organize and analyze health care data; accurately record, store and assess health data; use an electronic patient record system; and provide statistical analysis and interpret the results. The book will be of interest to all those wishing to gain a better insight into what is involved health information management, and to all those studying the subject.

This 3rd edition of a classic textbook examines the context and background of public health informatics, explores the technology and science underlying the field, discusses challenges and emerging solutions, reviews many key public health information systems, and includes practical, case-based studies to guide the reader through the topic. The editors have expanded the text into new areas that have become important since publication of the previous two editions due to changing technologies and needs in the field, as well as updating and augmenting much of the core content. The book contains learning objectives, overviews, future directions, and review questions to assist readers to engage with this vast topic. The Editors and their team of well-known contributors have built upon the foundation established by the previous editions to provide the reader with a comprehensive and forward-looking review of public health informatics. The breadth of material in Public Health Informatics and Information Systems, 3rd edition makes it suitable for both undergraduate and graduate coursework in public health informatics, enabling instructors to select chapters that best fit their students’ needs.

"This book addresses issues involving health information systems and informatics as innovative forms of investment in healthcare"--Provided by publisher.

Health information technologies are revolutionizing and streamlining healthcare, and uptake continues to rise dramatically. If these technologies are to be effectively implemented, capacity must be built at a regional, national and global level, and the support and involvement of both government and industry will be vital. This book presents the proceedings of the 2017 Information Technology and Communications in Health conference (ITCH 2017), held in Victoria, BC, Canada, in February 2017. The conference considers, from a variety of perspectives, what is required to move the technology forward to real, sustained and widespread use, and the solutions examined range from improvements in usability and training to the need for new and improved design of information systems, user interfaces and interoperable solutions. Government policies, mandates, initiatives and the need for regulation are also explored, as is the requirement for improved interaction between industrial, governmental and academic partners. With its focus on building the next generation of health informatics and the capacity required to deliver better healthcare worldwide, this book will be of interest to all those involved in the provision of healthcare.

Health IT is a major field of investment in support of healthcare delivery, but patients and professionals tend to have systems imposed upon them by organizational policy or as a result of even higher policy decision. And, while many health IT systems are efficient and welcomed by their users, and are essential to modern healthcare, this is not the case for all. Unfortunately, some systems cause user frustration and result in inefficiency in use, and a few are known to have inconvenienced patients or even caused harm, including the occasional death. This book seeks to answer the need for better understanding of the importance of robust evidence to support health IT and to optimize investment in it; to give insight into health IT evidence and evaluation as its primary source; and to promote health informatics as an underpinning science demonstrating the same ethical rigour and proof of net benefit as is expected of other applied health technologies. The book is divided into three parts: the context and importance of evidence-based health informatics; methodological considerations of health IT evaluation as the source of evidence; and ensuring the relevance and application of evidence. A number of cross cutting themes emerge in each of these sections. This book seeks to inform the reader on the wide range of knowledge available, and the appropriateness of its use according to the circumstances. It is aimed at a wide readership and will be of interest to health policymakers, clinicians, health informaticians, the academic health informatics community, members of patient and policy organisations, and members of the vendor industry.