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Article
Publication date: 22 November 2011

Kurt Stanberry

This paper seeks to analyze attempts, in the USA and globally, to create new and improved methods used to manage patient health information: electronic medical records (EHRs)

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to analyze attempts, in the USA and globally, to create new and improved methods used to manage patient health information: electronic medical records (EHRs). This new system of records management is to be examined to determine the possible benefits for patients, providers, insurers, employers, and others, as well as barriers to the use of EHRs, particularly in those embedded in US law.

Design/methodology/approach

In the USA, and in various other jurisdictions, new laws have been enacted to incentivize the use of EHRs, and the paper examines the regulations and provisions incentivizing the adoption of this type of integrated system for lifelong tracking of health‐related information. There are issues to be dealt with, such as cost, privacy, and legality, but each of these can and must be overcome to effectively manage and communicate health care information

Findings

The use of EHRs is increasing in the USA and globally, both in acute care hospitals and in primary care medical practices, largely accomplished through positive incentives, and penalties for non‐compliance. There are also various countries well on the way to wide‐spread use of electronic health records management.

Social implications

The use of EHRs creates a societal benefit, initially one on an individual level, but one which over time could rise to a level positively affecting health care on a national, even global level.

Originality/value

The paper is based on an analysis of relevant laws/regulations, best practices, and anecdotal/observational evidence. No empirical evidence survey or study was conducted, primarily because the process of implementation of EHRs is too new. It is of value to practitioners, policy makers, and interested public parties.

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1996

Caroline A. Stevens, Anne Morris and Janet Rolinson

This paper reports the findings of a part of a larger study investigating the sources of consumer health information (CHI) available to the public, with particular emphasis on the…

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a part of a larger study investigating the sources of consumer health information (CHI) available to the public, with particular emphasis on the use of electronic sources of health information. During the investigation discussions were held with managers and information officers of CHI services to examine provision. Detailed here are examples of the services provided by the Trent region. In consideration of the study's emphasis on the use of electronic sources of health information, the availability of electronic public access community information systems as sources of health information within the Trent region of the UK is discussed, and examples of such local government‐run systems are reviewed.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Article
Publication date: 9 March 2020

Manish Kumar and Javed Mostafa

Electronic health records (EHR) can enable collection and use of data for achieving better health both at the patient and population health levels. The World Health Organization's…

1254

Abstract

Purpose

Electronic health records (EHR) can enable collection and use of data for achieving better health both at the patient and population health levels. The World Health Organization's (WHO) draft 2019 four-year global digital health strategy aims to “improve health for everyone, everywhere by accelerating the adoption of appropriate digital health” and EHRs are key to achieving better health goals. Despite the fact that EHRs can help to achieve better health, there is lack of evidence explaining national and sub-national EHR development in the limited resource settings.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted a landscape study to describe the EHR development and use in the low- and middle-income countries for achieving better health. We reviewed literature from four scientific databases and analyzed gray literature identified in consultation with 17 international experts.

Findings

The findings of this literature review are presented in three subsections. The first two subsections describe key stakeholders for development of national and sub-national EHR and health information architecture which includes status of ehealth foundations, EHR, and sub-systems in the country. The third subsection presents and discusses key challenges related to sustainability of national and sub-national EHRs. The findings in these three subsections are further explored through examples of health information flow in Uganda, and electronic medical record/EHR implementation in Sierra Leone and Malawi. These examples briefly describe stakeholders, information architecture, and sustainability challenges.

Originality/value

This paper fills an important research gap and clearly explains the urgent research need to build context-specific EHR development models to enable use of data for better health.

Article
Publication date: 20 November 2017

Kisha Hortman Hawthorne and Lorraine Richards

This paper examines existing research on the topic of personal health records (PHRs). Areas covered include PHR/patient portal, recordkeeping, preservation planning, access and…

5810

Abstract

Purpose

This paper examines existing research on the topic of personal health records (PHRs). Areas covered include PHR/patient portal, recordkeeping, preservation planning, access and provider needs for future reuse of health information. Patient and physician PHR use and functionality, as well as adoption facilitators and barriers, are also reviewed.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper engages in a review of relevant literature from a variety of subject domains, including personal information management, medical informatics, medical literature and archives and records management literature.

Findings

The review finds that PHRs are extensions of electronic records. In addition, it finds a lack of literature within archives and records management that may lead to a less preservation-centric examination of the new PHR technologies that are desirable for controlling the lifecycle of these important new records-type.

Originality/value

Although the issues presented by PHRs are issues that can best be solved with the use of techniques from records management, there is no current literature related to PHRs in the records management literature, and that offered in the medical informatics literature treats the stewardship aspects of PHRs as insurmountable. This paper offers an introduction to the aspects of PHRs that could fruitfully be examined in archives and records management.

Article
Publication date: 27 April 2023

Peilin Tian and Le Wang

This study aims to reveal the topic structure and evolutionary trends of health informatics research in library and information science.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to reveal the topic structure and evolutionary trends of health informatics research in library and information science.

Design/methodology/approach

Using publications in Web of Science core collection, this study combines informetrics and content analysis to reveal the topic structure and evolutionary trends of health informatics research in library and information science. The analyses are conducted by Pajek, VOSviewer and Gephi.

Findings

The health informatics research in library and information science can be divided into five subcommunities: health information needs and seeking behavior, application of bibliometrics in medicine, health information literacy, health information in social media and electronic health records. Research on health information literacy and health information in social media is the core of research. Most topics had a clear and continuous evolutionary venation. In the future, health information literacy and health information in social media will tend to be the mainstream. There is room for systematic development of research on health information needs and seeking behavior.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze the topic structure and evolutionary trends of health informatics research based on the perspective of library and information science. This study helps identify the concerns and contributions of library and information science to health informatics research and provides compelling evidence for researchers to understand the current state of research.

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2002

Peter Williams, David Nicholas, Paul Huntington and Barrie Gunter

This paper attempts an overview of the literature on issues relating to the electronic provision of health information for the consumer, to provide a context for current work…

1227

Abstract

This paper attempts an overview of the literature on issues relating to the electronic provision of health information for the consumer, to provide a context for current work being undertaken by the Internet Studies Research Group (ISRG) examining the impact of various electronic platforms. Reasons why there has been an increase in interest and demand for health information and issues such as information need, take‐up and use, are elicited from the literature, and discussed with regard to previous research and the findings from the group’s own studies. Problems inherent in electronic provision, such as the dissemination of unregulated information, and barriers to information take‐up, are examined in depth. The review concludes with an outline of the implications of the issues for both the current and future work of the ISRG and the wider research community.

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 54 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1996

Caroline A. Stevens, Anne Morris and Goff Sargent

A study has been carried out into sources of consumer health information available in the UK, with particular emphasis on the use of electronic sources of health information As…

Abstract

A study has been carried out into sources of consumer health information available in the UK, with particular emphasis on the use of electronic sources of health information As part of this latter aim, the research has entailed an investigation of the Internet to identify the types of health information available. This paper discusses briefly the sources of health information that are available to the public, focusing on electronic information sources, and then presents the results from the search of the Internet for health information. (The links presented were correct at the time of going to press but, as with the nature of the Internet, some links may change.) The facilities available on the Internet which were used to guide the search are presented. Twenty major health information sites were identified and examples of the types of subjects presented at each site are given. The information found is judged for its suitability for the consumer or professional. In conclusion, the usefulness of the Internet as a health information source is considered.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Article
Publication date: 27 November 2007

Avinandan Mukherjee and John McGinnis

Healthcare is among the fastest‐growing sectors in both developed and emerging economies. E‐healthcare is contributing to the explosive growth within this industry by utilizing…

3099

Abstract

Purpose

Healthcare is among the fastest‐growing sectors in both developed and emerging economies. E‐healthcare is contributing to the explosive growth within this industry by utilizing the internet and all its capabilities to support its stakeholders with information searches and communication processes. The purpose of this paper is to present the state‐of‐the‐art and to identify key themes in research on e‐healthcare.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature in the marketing and management of e‐healthcare was conducted to determine the major themes pertinent to e‐healthcare research as well as the commonalities and differences within these themes.

Findings

Based on the literature review, the five major themes of e‐healthcare research identified are: cost savings; virtual networking; electronic medical records; source credibility and privacy concerns; and physician‐patient relationships.

Originality/value

Based on these major themes, managerial implications for e‐healthcare are formulated. Suggestions are offered to facilitate healthcare service organizations' attempts to further implement and properly utilize e‐healthcare in their facilities. These propositions will also help these stakeholders develop and streamline their e‐healthcare processes already in use. E‐healthcare systems enable firms to improve efficiency, to reduce costs, and to facilitate the coordination of care across multiple facilities.

Details

International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, vol. 1 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6123

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1995

Glenda Myers, Thokozile Nkabinde and Duane Blaauw

SatelLife is an international not‐for‐profit organisation, which began as an initiative of the group known as International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)…

Abstract

SatelLife is an international not‐for‐profit organisation, which began as an initiative of the group known as International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, SatelLife aims to promote the use of micro‐satellite technology to serve the health communication and information needs of countries in the developing world SatelLife administers HealthNet, which uses a ‘store and forward’ satellite in a pole‐to‐pole orbit, HealthSat, in order to facilitate the transmission of messages and information between the ground stations over which it passes. The system is relatively cheap to install and is independent of the notoriously unreliable communications infrastructures of Third World countries, relying as it does on radio rather than telephone links between each ground station and the satellite. HealthNet is specifically designed to facilitate the exchange of information among health professionals in the developing world and to link them with their colleagues in First World countries. Essentially an e‐mail system, HealthNet has been installed in several northern African countries as well as Cuba, However, HealthNet is also used to facilitate the distribution of an electronic newsletter among African medical librarians. Although South Africa is technologically far more advanced than the rest of Africa, problems still arise in terms of the transmission of essential health statistics and data that is now required for demographic and healthcare planning in terms of the ANC's new health policy. Accordingly, a pilot study linking three of the more under‐developed regions in South Africa has recently been established under the coordination of a national manager. In South Africa, the system will be known as HealthLink, as HealthNet already exists as a trademark in this country. This paper aims to describe the background leading to the establishment of HealthLink, as well as its current status in the improvement of electronic healthcare information delivery in South Africa

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Article
Publication date: 3 October 2016

Shadrack Katuu

The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges of transforming South Africa’s health sector through the country’s eHealth Strategy and particularly one of its key…

1696

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges of transforming South Africa’s health sector through the country’s eHealth Strategy and particularly one of its key components, the implementation of an integrated Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS).

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted an extensive review of literature and used it as a basis to analyse the challenges as well as opportunities in South Africa’s transformation path within its health sector based on the nation’s eHealth Strategy.

Findings

South Africa’s health sector faces three main transformation challenges: inequity, legacy of fragmentation and a service delivery structure biased towards curative rather than preventive services. Health information systems provide a solid platform for improving efficiency but, within South Africa, these systems have been highly heterogeneous. A recent study showed the country had more than 40 individual health information systems scattered in all provinces, with over 50 per cent not adhering to any national or international standards and more than 25 per cent being stand-alone applications that shared information neither locally nor externally. The eHealth Strategy offers a robust platform to start addressing the legacy of fragmentation and lack of interoperability. However, it also raises a few other concerns, including the use of different terminology such as Electronic Medical Record (EMR) interchangeable with Electronic Health Record (EHR), or EDRMS parallel with Electronic Content Management (ECM). In addition, there is the opportunity to explore the use of the maturity model concept in the EDRMS implementation experiences within South Africa.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrated the complex nature of the legacy of fragmentation in South Africa’s health information systems and explored three aspects relating to terminology as well as maturity models that should be considered in the country’s future eHealth Strategy.

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