Medical and Health Informatics Definitions

Medical Informatics Definitions

• Medical Information Science employs system-analytic tools to create algorithms for management, process control, decision-making, and scientific analysis of medical knowledge
• Ted Shortliffe is attributed to this definition.
• Medical Informatics includes both the theory and practice of processing and communicating information
• It is based on medical knowledge and healthcare experience
• Jan van Bemmel is attributed to this definition.
• Medical informatics combines information science, computer science, and health care
• It uses available resources, devices, and methods to improve information acquisition, storage, retrieval, and overall usage in health and biomedicine.
• The field of medical informatics focuses on cognitive, information processing, and communication tasks related to medical practice, education, and research
• It incorporates information science and technology to support these activities.

Health Informatics

• Health (Medical) Informatics is a rapidly evolving scientific field
• It deals with resources, devices, and formalized methods for optimizing storage, retrieval, and management of biomedical information for problem-solving and decision-making
• Edward Shortliffe, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University, 1995.
• Health Informatics is comprised of information technology and fundamentals and supports decision-making
• Information Technology: Healthcare, research, and education.
• Fundamentals: Communication, knowledge management.
• Decision support: Clinical Information Management.

Technology and Medical Education

• Access to laptops for each student is a basic technology need
• Software needs include Microsoft Office Professional, medical spellcheckers like Stedman's, citation management software as well as photo editing software
• Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) can keep students updated anywhere
• PDAs for each student facilitates access to evidence-based references, disease references, medical calculators, drug references, medical dictionaries, and the CDCS system
• Computer labs are useful for student teaching and faculty development
• Medical informatics can improve educational strategies and teaching skills
• Including problem solving and didactic skills
• Essential competencies include word processing, information retrieval, information management, data analysis, presentation skills, and communication skills
• Includes e-mail and file transfer capabilities.
• Informatics use in health care includes communication, knowledge management, decision support, and information management.
  • Communication: Telemedicine, te-radiology, patient e-mail, and presentations.
  • Knowledge Management: Journals, consumer health information, and evidence-based medical information.
  • Decision Support: Reminder systems, diagnostic expert systems, and drug interaction information.
  • Information Management: Electronic medical records, billing transactions, and ordering systems.
• Computers simplify the diagnostic-therapeutic cycle by aiding in data collection, information processing, decision-making, planning, and diagnosis/assessment.
• Cybernetics applies Theory of Information as well as Theory of Control
• Theory of Information: Communications, coding, algorithms, probabilities, and stochastic processes.
• Theory of Control: Operations research, optimization, and management science.
• A shift towards problem-based learning is occurring in medical education
• The Universities of McMaster and Newcastle Universities pioneered the movement away from lecture-focused programs
• Integrating electronic media into education and the curriculum can be useful for students
• Faculty should provide electronic information, and students should develop interest in it
• Handheld applications may support clinicians
• ePocrates, 5 Minute Clinical Consult, medical calculators and immunization schedules are examples

Infrastructure and Implementation

• Infrastructure to support medical informatics curriculum includes the following considerations:
• Hardware and software
• Support, workflow/mindset, training, and budgeting issues
• Infrastructure for medical informatics may include Student and Faculty PDAs, Virtual Library Resources, IT Section Support, Data Collection and Evaluation System.
• College of Medicine Network Infrastructure and Student Wireless Laptops as well as Blackboard Courseware.
• Barriers to implementing technology may include stakeholder attitudes and perceptions as well as funding, time, technical support, stakeholder development, availability and accessibility
• The use of virtual reality in simulated procedures is a new application of computers in medical education
• It is still in its early stages, so procedures can be standardized, and trainees can test and practice skills

Goals and Guidelines

• Medical informatics can help students by making them independent learners, information seekers, and proficient users of computer technology.
• Teacher orientation should focus on preparing students to manage medical information, which validates incorporating medical informatics applications into the curriculum
• Electronic media usage should be part of education in order to provide computer technology can provide immediate access to information and a means for rapidly disseminating knowledge
• Continued efforts by the faculty to teach students the necessary skills, so they can benefit from available and evolving technology
• While computer applications are included, medical informatics includes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes involved in seeking, manipulating and using biomedical information

Websites and Applications

• Medicalstudent.com: Digital library of authoritative medical information for all students
• About.com: Wide range of information relating to diseases and conditions
• Bestdoctors.com: Information and listings for top doctors
• Healthatoz.com: Large amounts of medical information covering a variety of diseases.
• Healthcommunities.com: Offers disease-related information, interactive medical portals, chats, discussion forums, and clinical trials
• Healthfinder.gov: Provides access to Internet medicine, libraries, online journals, and medical dictionaries; includes content in Spanish.
• Intelihealth.com: Comprehensive portal with drug information, medical dictionaries, and disease rundowns in coordination with Harvard Medical School
• NIH.gov: Contains leading collection of health research institutes
• NLM.NIH.gov: The best electronic medical library accessible around the world
• WebMD.com: Nicely divided with audience ranging from patients and doctors to students
• Standards are valuable for exchange and management of medical information:
  • HL7 (Health Level 7): Aims to provide standards for data exchange, management, and integration to support clinical patient care, management, delivery, and evaluation of healthcare services.
  • DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine): Refers to a means of handling, storing, printing, and transmitting information in medical imaging.

Conclusion

• Computers in some form are here to stay in healthcare
• Medical informatics needs to be incorporated into medical school curricula
• It allows physicians to access, analyze, and manage information to make educated decisions in patient care
• Computers and related technology are essential for communication, information-sharing, education, and professional development
• Information technology is not a standalone remedy for all illnesses in medical education
• It should be part of the solution.
• Medical informatics improves professional standard and promotes the renewal of traditional values in the medical profession including improving health care through information technology
• Medical education is shifting to problem-based learning, but adaptation has been slow