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Many Health care organizations have been using information systems in medical informatics to improve work performance in hospitals. Health care professional requires an individual to have health informatics and emerging technologies to enhance quality of professional practice.  Therefore, healthy informatics and emerging technologies are necessities for improving productivity in medical field. With an increasing number of critical cases in the hospital, technical support has become an essential service required in exploring the skills and knowledge suited in health care organizations. Concerning this, it is an ultimate objective for every health care professional to generate the suitable medication required to treat different health problems. Being the most attribute to essential services, it has improving patient behavior in many hospitals. This paper is therefore aimed at examining the importance of health Informatics and Emerging Technologies in health care organizations.

In order to obtain excellent outcomes, health care organizations need to use health informatics as well as modern technology. However, many hospitals have not embraced these fundamental aspects. Consequences of not effectively using health informatics with advanced technology have led to waste of resources, inability of producing quality measurements, compromising decisions in work performance in addition, causing harm to patients. Health informatics generates accurate data that assist in areas of treatment, paying bills, and produce quality measurement of suitable treatment used in health care institutions. According to Friede etal (1995) 60 % of all hospitals in the United States have strongly affirmed on the use of advanced technology because it helps in ensuring that all records are kept well. This concludes that, it is essential for health care organizations to use technology during health care. However, many hospitals have ignored the fundamental aspect it has on medical field. This implies that, if nothing is done to ensure hospital use advanced technology, may end up causing harm to patients and affecting the overall work performance.

According to Rigby, Forsstrom and Wyatt (2001) health informatics is best explained as information science, health care and computer science required in health care organization. Joseph and Tan  argues that, health informatics tools include use of computers, clinical guidelines, medical terminologies, its information and communication system mostly applied in areas of clinical care, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, public health, biomedical research and on occupational therapy. Studies have shown that, health informatics was officially recognized in 1992by American nurses association (Eysenbach & Diepgen, 2001).   Their main objective was to improve the health care professional along with expanding knowledge in medical field. Borne in mind that medical field is a health care professional that deals with lives of human beings, there was a need of establishing some health information systems to develop quality professional in skill and knowledge (Rigby, etal2001).

Research indicates that, health care informative assist in management process of health care practice (Ball, 2000). Ball argues that, nurses that uses computerized software, easily identifies complications of patients conditions which helps in choosing the appropriate action of evaluating patient condition. The plan choice might include an aerobic exercise regimen, support social groups, special diets. These activities improve the patient health in psychological, social issues and physical. Health care team ensures uses alternative treatment as tools to improve patient conditions.

A survey done in New York by Hopkins (2000) shows that, health care professionals had seen the significant outcome of health Informatics and technologies when used in health care institutions. By identifying the activities that improved the patient conditions, many employees confessed that it had caused higher productivity in work performance, happier employees, along with improving the conditions of patients. The positive outcome shows that, by improving patients’ conditions it generates satisfaction among health care employees. As a result, this motivates them to do their work effectively thus improving work productivity.

Some studies have shown that, health informatics and technology helps the medical field to come up with ideas that develops patient satisfaction (Hopkins, 2000).  For instance, access of computers enables many patients to access treatment and appointments online. This makes many patients to access suitable treatment without going to hospitals. In addition, Gerdian argues that, many victims have acquired knowledge on the symptoms, causes, prevention and treatment of various health problems. The use of online information enables many to prevent severe cases that would have been obtained if no knowledge were obtained. This implies that, online knowledge has been an effective tool in curing various diseases thus enhancing patient satisfaction (Ball, 2000).

Additionally, computer access has increased speed of bills payments in health care institutions. Ball has assed that, computer assist in keeping all records required in every health problem. For instance, if a patient is suffering from Cancer, all information about that healthy problem is usually recorded in database to assist in various aspects such as payments. It takes a shorter time accessing the details required in payment thus; patients do not have to queue in carrying out payment transactions that develops patient satisfaction.

Health informatics helps health care organizations to get feedbacks from patients. Different researches have shown that, many patients’ gives feedback via email or else from health care websites (Ball, 2000). The comments help health care institution to know whether they are offering good services in addition, to knowing some of the employees who may not be enhancing suitable treatment to patient. This has been affirmed by Berg (2004) who argues that, patients feedback enhance effective work performance together with ensuring that, health care professional is done by specialist additionally, provides high degree of medical skill when treating patients.

According to medical expertise, emerging technology aims at treating patients with suitable treatment and prevention of various health problems. Majority of doctors and physicians are more effective when using technology in performing their day-to-day activities within health care organizations. The paramount significant fact is enabling health care professionals to be aware of what they are treating in addition, giving appropriate treatment that align with that disorder. As a result, health care specialists end up spending less time identifying a health problem.  In addition, research shows that, when doctors spend less time treating one patient, it increases work performance because less time is required in treating one patient. This has a way of attributing to patient satisfaction because he will know his health problem and offer help in giving best treatment.

Other aspects of health informatics include been used in emergence room. Medical expertise have outlined that, emergency rooms tend to deal with severe conditions on a daily basis. Therefore, medical experts should be able to make decisions that treat wide range of injuries. In addition, Stead & lorenzi (1999) argues that, health informatics helps nurses to obtain quick information when treating patients in emergency room, which eventually helps in saving lives that would have been lost.  A research survey has shown that, health care informatics provides a high degree of knowledge in making hasty decisions required in emergency rooms (Stead & lorenzi, 1999). This provides urgent care of injuries along with discerning patient need in improving her or his condition. The use of emerging technology generates a positive role of improving patient condition.

Despite of the benefits that health informatics and advanced technology have on health care organizations, many institutions have not embraced it. In analyzing this, I did my own research, which supported the fact that, many hospitals have neglected the use of health informatics. In analyzing this, I visited Mountain View hospital whereby I conducted my research for two days. I divided my target population into four groups with ten members from each group. The target populations groups included higher management that comprised of Doctors, Physicians, Gynecologists and surgeon. Middle management group included nurses and administrations. The Lower management groups were Subordinates, clerks, receptionist, cleaners and cooks. The final groups were the patients present on that day.

I grouped my questions in two categories. The staff group of Mountain View hospital and patient group. The staff questions consisted of the following.

• The number of times doctors used health informatics and advanced technology in treating patients.
• Whether they were aware of using emerging technologies
• If there were access of the advanced technologies
• How many computers were used in keeping patient data
• How they detected patient problem
• If information on computer data were accurate

Patient’s questions were as follow

• How often doctors used health informatics with advanced technologies in treatment.
• How their health problems were been detected
• How health informatics improved their health conditions if used.

The results from doctors showed that, they never had access of modern technology to treat patients. They mostly used their knowledge in observing patients symptoms and giving the recommended treatment for such health issue. This was a fundamental fact as to why many death cases had occurred in that hospital. Though they knew how to use advanced technology, it was not recognized in that hospital. This was their main challenge in that they used files to keep their data.

The results from patients showed that, doctors had never used health informatics with modern technology during treatment. From their opinion, better outcomes would have been obtained if health informatics and technology were used in detecting their health problem. Mostly, they were asked to describe their symptoms and later the doctors would give the recommended treatment. Based on their argument, death cases had increased drastically because doctors could not detect what the patient was suffering from.

These findings showed how many hospitals are not using health informatics in their work performance. This implies that, if health informatics were embraced in every health care set up, would improve conditions of patients in addition, saving lives of many patients. For instance, cancer patient may not experience severe symptoms during early stages. The common signs include nods, which if not early detected by use of advanced technology may lead to severe cases that result to death.  Rather than discharging patients, health care experts would obtain excellent skills in advanced technology, which would improve the patient condition.

The government should ensure that every health care organizations uses health informatics along with technology to ensure effective work performance. All hospitals should have access of computers that keeps the patient information. In return, many patients would not end up taking long duration in accessing their information.

Conclusion

Health informatics and advanced technologies are vital in enhancing work productivity in health care organizations. As discussed in this paper, it helps medical field to come up with ideas that develops patient satisfaction. This is achieved through accessing treatment and appointments online. As a result, many patients have acquired knowledge on their health problems such as knowing the symptoms, causes, prevention and treatment of their health problems. Health informatics assists doctors in identifying treatment for various health complications, which is also effective in emergency room. When advanced technology is used in hospitals, increases occupational competence since its implication will expand knowledge on suitable treatment used in various health problems.

We have also outlined that, it saves time for doctors in knowing what to treat. In extent, the doctor will not use a lot of time as to that of interviewing patient to know the symptoms. When doctors use technology, it will increase their work performance in that they would less time in choosing the applicable treatment. Health informatics has also helped health care organizations to get feedbacks from patients. These comments have been used in accessing whether hospitals are offering quality services in addition, establishing some conditions that may not be pleasing to patients

On the contrary, despite the benefits that health informatics have, many hospitals have neglected its use. Researches have shown that, only 30% of hospitals mostly use emerging technology (Ball, 2000). Many doctors assume patient condition when giving treatment thus giving wrong treatment and increasing death cases. With death cases increasing, there is a need for all hospitals to embrace the use of health informatics along with the modern technology to ensure that the patient health is detected first before giving treatment. If this is done, it will consequently cure diseases that would not have been cured if there were no earlier detections. However, if this is not embraced, many patients will not get suitable treatments that later may have side effects on their health. As discussed in this paper, patients from Mountain View hospital have agreed on the fact that, if better systems were used during treatment, better outcomes would have been obtained.

Health Informatics and Emerging Technologies are essential aspect that attributes to essential services. This research paper has been essential in showing how these systems have been neglected by many health care institutions. In ensuring all hospitals uses technology, there is a need of government intervention. This paper has therefore, examined the importance of health Informatics and Emerging Technologies in health care organizations.

 

 

References

Ball, M. J. (2000). Nursing informatics: where caring and technology meet. New York :     Springer

Eysenbach G, Diepgen T L (2001). The Role of e-Health and Consumer Health Informatics for     Evidence-Based Patient Choice in the 21st Century. Rating health information on the            internet: navigating to knowledge . Vol 2(1)

Friede, A, Blum, H.L, & McDonald, M. (1995). Public Health Informatics: How Information-      Age Technology Can Strengthen Public Health. Annual Review of Public Health.      Vol 16(239)

Hopkins, J (2000). Consumer health informatics. The Internet as a forum for public debate about healthcare. Vol 329 (7251)

Rigby. M, Forsstrom J, Wyatt, J(2001). Verifying quality and safety in health informatics             services. Information in practice. Vol 323 (7312)

Stead, W. & lorenzi N,M (1999). Health Informatics Linking Investment to Value. Journal of       informatics in health and biomedicine. Vol 6(5)

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