Western medicine is surprisingly — and frustratingly — young. Though medical institutions do what they can to establish themselves as immensely knowledgeable and skilled, the truth is that fundamental knowledge about how the body works, how disease manifests and how the environment influences health is barely a century old. Strategies and techniques for achieving and maintaining health are still largely in development because we are continuing to collect new information that revolutionizes healthcare.
Fortunately, that new information has the potential to radically improve all aspects of healthcare, from diagnosis to treatment to lifestyle management. Thanks largely to the field of health informatics, providers are better equipped than ever to help patients achieve health — but few patients know much about the health informatics field.
What is Health Informatics?
In general, informatics is a field within computer science that focuses on humans’ interactions with technology. Researchers in informatics look into the impact of technology and data on individuals and groups, often with the intention of developing new technologies and finding better applications for existing technologies.
Initially, health informatics emerged as a tool for facilitating the sharing of patient health data between hospital departments or healthcare providers. However, as technology has advanced and health researchers have gained access to increasingly powerful computer systems, health informatics has become an incredibly valuable tool in almost all aspects of biomedical research.
The strict definition of health informatics continues to evolve. However, those studying an online master’s degree in health informatics will find that the field involves using structured and unstructured data from various sources to improve efficiency and outcomes in healthcare services or else to guide public health programs. With that in mind, here are a few ways informatics is making a difference.
8 Ways Health Informatics is Building a Better Future for Healthcare
Some benefits of health informatics have been manifest from the very first days of the discipline; other benefits are only just becoming known. Here are eight of the most promising ways that health informatics will continue to improve healthcare services into the future:
Reducing costs of medical care. Waste produces unnecessary expenses for medical providers, who often pass those costs along to patients. By improving efficiency within medical systems, informatics can cut costs for everyone, making medical care more affordable and therefore more accessible.
Reducing errors in prescriptions. Many patients see medications as simple, effective treatments for disease, but when misprescribed, medications can have devastating effects. Already, many healthcare providers use informatics systems to ensure that prescribed medications will not trigger allergic reactions or have contraindications with other prescribed drugs.
Expanding access to medical care. An estimated 80 percent of U.S. counties lack sufficient healthcare providers to meet local demand. With the rise of telehealth solutions, health informatics can provide services to underserved areas, expanding access and bringing healthcare opportunities to all.
Improving diagnosis accuracy. Informatics systems may be trained to analyze patient data and identify health concerns. Already, AI systems are being used to detect certain cancers earlier than human healthcare providers. With more data, diagnostic accuracy could come close to 100 percent.
Improving quality of care. With greater access to data, healthcare providers can understand, assess and develop plans of action with greater speed. As a result, patients enjoy improved quality of care as a result of informatics, which involves the collection and organization of patient data.
Improving clinical research. Patient recruitment, ethical approvals and renewals, participant activity, data collection and analysis and other aspects of clinical research tend to be slow and crippled by errors. Informatics systems can support clinical research, driving insights and innovations at a faster rate.
Empowering patients. Many patients fear healthcare because they tend to lose agency in a system where providers have all valuable knowledge and skill. However, health informatics facilitates the development of consumer-grade devices for patients to monitor their own health, allowing them to become more engaged in their own healthcare journeys.
Improving population-level health. By aggregating large amounts of patient data, researchers can better understand health issues at the population level — which means they can better identify emerging health threats and develop solutions that keep more people healthy and safe.
Though modern medicine has only been truly effective for a handful of decades, rapid advancements in technology could usher in a new age of medical enlightenment. Providers, patients and more should celebrate health informatics — and contribute to the cause in any way they can.
