Cross Training
Informatics may be seen as the location in the discipline space where a particular set of relevant basic sciences meets an application domain that is typically a field of professional practice. Enables communication with both the basic scientists and the full-time professionals, making it possible for the cross-trained person to promote important methods of collaboration.
- Information science, computer science, cognitive science, and organisational science.
- Full-time practitioner in the domain > someone trained in informatics/science.
Fundamental Theorem
Persons supported by information technology will be better than the same persons performing the same task. Emphasis on how this is a field about people as much as it is about technology.
Tower of Achievement
Each step is seen as having a science underlying it. Informatics is associated with the understanding of and ability to apply the science underlying each step. The vertical metaphor of the tower calls attention to the way each step depends on the steps preceding it, much as the structural integrity of a tower requires the lower levels to be strong enough to support those above them, suggesting that complete training in informatics must to some degree address each level of the tower.
- Study of effects
- System deployment
- System development
- Model formulation
What health informatics isn’t
- Scientists or clinicians tinkering with computers – Tinkerers lack formal training in the basic informational sciences, what they develop is not scalable or usable by anyone other than the developer.
- Analysis of data sets per se – Information technology is strictly used as a tool by those who analyse data. Lack training in application domain.
- Limited roles related to deployment and configuration of electronic health records in pursuit of meaningful use – Certain roles operate exclusively at one level of the tower of achievement and as such, do not meet the criteria advanced here to allow the label informatics attached to them. Some members of the health IT workforce if prepared for these roles with the requisite cross training would certainly qualify as informaticians.
- The profession of health information management – Are informed users of technology but not scientifically-trained developers or explorers of its consequence.
- Anything done using a computer – the computer is not just a tool.
Data
Raw, unprocessed facts used to create information. NZ health system structure influences data flows.
Information
Processed data placed in a context that gives it value for specific end users. It has time content and form which describe dimensions of information quality.
Knowledge
The availability and usefulness of information such that a healthcare professional has the capacity to act.
Why collect data?
- Operationally – to support processes and decisions related to clinical care, support for management and operational activities, develop and support policy, research and education, and develop and support knowledge.
- Strategically – gain overview of the health system and its effectiveness (planning, implementation and evaluation of health service needs and delivery.
Clinical decision system
Any information tool that takes individual patient data, compares it against best practise research, and assists clinicians in making clinical decisions.
Clinical coding system
A system of alphanumeric codes associated with specific medical conditions, procedures, drugs, treatments, anatomy and physiology, to facilitate the storage, retrieval and reuse of data and/or information for the purpose of delivering healthcare.
Interoperability
The ability for two or more systems to exchange and use one another’s information.
Information privacy
People like to be able to control or at least influence how data about themselves are handled.
Security
The safety of stored data
Data quality
How well data are represented in terms of detail, accuracy, timeliness, and completeness.
Database
A repository that supports the collection, storage and retrieval of data according to a model or framework
Electronic health record
A lifelong record of a patient’s healthcare combining information about services used, clinical aspects of care and health outcomes.
Health informatics
Using tools to develop procedures for management, process control, decision making and scientific analysis of medical knowledge.
Telemedicine
The delivery of health care at a distance
Evidence based care
Actively using scientific evidence in the clinical decision making process, aiming at best practise
Integrated care
The continuous delivery of healthcare regardless of the traditional boundaries of primary, secondary and tertiary care.
Digital divide
The difference between those who have computers and those who don’t; those who have access to digital tools, information and knowledge and those who don’t.
DRG
Diagnostics Related Grouping
DSS
Decision Support System
HL7
Health Level 7
