MODERN MEDICINE AND MEDICAL INFORMATICS
The health industry is comprised of various stakeholders. It is not unusual because all sectors are made of different components. These components have different roles in the health industry. The tasks might be completely distinct from one group to another. However, they all work together to achieve a common goal or objective as set by the industry. Chapter two of the provided book has addressed several groups that are found in the health industry. One of such groups is the librarians. The librarians are tasked with the role of organizing, maintaining, and supporting data records as they are collected from various departments of the health system (Aken, 2010). Data is an essential asset in every organization. It provides for the importance of librarians in the industry. The efficiency and quality of the service offered by the sector depend on the efficiency and speed of data retrieval from the library. Therefore, librarians play a crucial role in the smooth running of the industry. Librarians have improved and advanced the traditional data storage format by the introduction of digital data storage and management systems. They provide services to various departments in the industry. Examples of such departments include the audit department, procurement department, and planning department, among others.
Data has several characteristics. However, the attributes do not apply in general for all uses. Some industries will require data of different qualities from others. The health industry does well with a data set that has three classes. The three characteristics are data accuracy, data consistency, and the relevance of the data (Aken, 2010). The three features are very vital in the process of decision making. Consider the role of the health industry in our society. It has the function to maintain and improve human life, which is very vulnerable. In that case, the decisions made in the industry must be precise and consistent to avoid disparities. They also have to be relevant to the problem that is in context.
Evidence-based medicine is the conscientious and judicious application of the best available evidence to make decisions concerning medical care for patients (Aken, 2010). The evidence-based model has a significant contribution to the health industry. Unlike before, the approach has enabled health workers to provide better quality services to clients, it has ensured patient satisfaction, and also, the method has lowered the costs for both the patients and hospitals. However, evidence-based practice has several challenges. One of the problems is the issue of lack of or inadequate evidence. The challenge is attributed to the lengthy time spent when working to acquire valid, precise, and relevant evidence. Some diseases or conditions might have no evidence at all. Using the approach for such situations is not productive.
One of the health informatics that attracted my attention is that of community health informatics (Aken, 2010). It involved the collection and analysis of public data to identify the standards of health conditions in the community. The community health informatics is crucial because it does not focus on an individual. There are many people who might have a health problem and fail to get medical facilities. It also helps the health industry to organize immunization programs, among others.
EHR stands for electronic health records. EHR data model is a form of database that contains plenty and diverse data that concerns human health. Clinical utility refers to the usefulness of a test during a clinical exercise (Aken, 2010). Both the EHR data model and clinical utility are essential because they enhance the provision of quality services on a timely basis.
References
Aken, S. N. (2010, April). Health Informatics for Medical Librarians. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2859254/