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1 – 10 of over 5000JENNIFER MACDOUGALL, J. MICHAEL BRITTAIN and ROBERT GANN
This paper provides an overview of the range and development of health informatics, with examples from the literature world wide covering the types of information involved, the…
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of the range and development of health informatics, with examples from the literature world wide covering the types of information involved, the areas of application, the impact of evidence based medicine and other professional issues, integrated information systems, and the needs of the public, patients and their carers. While medical informatics certainly comprises a major part of health informatics it is not the main focus of this paper. Medical informatics is the older term and involves the use of information technology and computing specifically for medical science research, and the diagnosis and treatment of disease involving, for example, X‐rays, imaging, resonance, and magnetic scanning techniques. Rather, the scope of this review is the literature relating to the wider concept of the management of information through the interdisciplinary application of information science and technology for the benefit of patients, scientists, managers, staff, and carers involved in the whole range of healthcare activity.
The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into contemporary challenges associated with applying informatics and big data to healthcare quality improvement.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into contemporary challenges associated with applying informatics and big data to healthcare quality improvement.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a narrative literature review.
Findings
Informatics serve as a bridge between big data and its applications, which include artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and point-of-care clinical decision making. Healthcare investment returns, measured by overall population health, healthcare operation efficiency and quality, are currently considered to be suboptimal. The challenges posed by informatics/big data span a wide spectrum from individual patients to government/regulatory agencies and healthcare providers.
Practical implications
The paper utilizes informatics and big data to improve population health and healthcare quality improvement.
Originality/value
Informatics and big data utilization have the potential to improve population health and service quality. This paper discusses the challenges posed by these methods as the author strives to achieve the aims.
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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.
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Technological developments have shed optimistic light on the future of telecommunications in healthcare. However, problems still prevail in the healthcare industry and the need…
Abstract
Technological developments have shed optimistic light on the future of telecommunications in healthcare. However, problems still prevail in the healthcare industry and the need for an effective solution in a rapidly evolving technological environment is imperative in the coming years. This paper defines the problem within healthcare delivery worldwide and theoretically explores a typical medical scenario in Kuwait, utilising the grounded theory method. It traces the social processes within medical work and network and attempts to understand the underlying relationships between the two. Analysis of the scenario leads to an understanding of the concepts and categories, enabling the interpretation of a theory that forms the basis of an architectural model, resulting in the proposition of a new telehealth paradigm, the pay‐per‐use concept. The research question focuses on the appropriateness of such a concept for the healthcare industry. Anticipates that the proposed new conceptual framework will be the evolving IT solution in healthcare delivery.
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Abstract
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China’s healthcare system is being burdened by the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. Therefore, this study investigated the health service requirements of mobile health…
Abstract
Purpose
China’s healthcare system is being burdened by the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. Therefore, this study investigated the health service requirements of mobile health applications (mHealth apps) users in Hangzhou, China. This study aimed to propose suggestions and theoretical references to improve mHealth apps and promote their development, thereby meeting public medical and health needs and creating an efficient medical service system.
Design/methodology/approach
We constructed a model of health service demands using a literature review, network survey, and semi-structured interviews. We analyzed the demand attributes using the Kano model and Better-Worse index and obtained the priority ranking of demands.
Findings
The results revealed 25 demand elements in four dimensions: must-be (M), one-dimensional (O), attractive (A), and indifferent (I) requirements. The findings suggest that mHealth app developers can optimize health services by categorizing and managing health services, focusing on middle-aged users, enhancing the professionalism of health service providers, and improving the feedback mechanism.
Originality/value
Studies on mHealth apps user demands, particularly on health service needs, remain scarce. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, integrating both qualitative and quantitative research techniques, to establish a priority ranking of user health service needs for mHealth apps. The study offers recommendations and theoretical references to optimize and improve mHealth app services.
Highlights
Construct a better health service requirements model for mHealth app users.
Obtain the prioritization of demand elements in the model.
Propose some management suggestions to improve mHealth apps.
Construct a better health service requirements model for mHealth app users.
Obtain the prioritization of demand elements in the model.
Propose some management suggestions to improve mHealth apps.
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Jeffrey P. Harrison and Geoffrey M. McDowell
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the status of US hospital Laboratory Information Systems. Laboratory Information Systems are critical to high quality healthcare service…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the status of US hospital Laboratory Information Systems. Laboratory Information Systems are critical to high quality healthcare service provision. Data show that the need for these systems is growing to meet accompanying technological and workload demands. Additionally, laboratory tests provide the majority of information for clinical decision‐making. Laboratory processes automation, including patient result verification, has greatly improved laboratory test throughput while decreasing turn‐around‐times, enabling critical results to reach physicians rapidly for improved clinical outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were drawn from the 2007 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Analytics Database, which includes over 5,000 US healthcare organizations and provides extensive data on the hardware, software, and information technology infrastructure within healthcare organizations.
Findings
US hospitals are actively involved in laboratory systems planning to improve health service quality. Specifically, data show 76 new laboratory information systems are currently being installed in 2007 with another 399 under contract for future installation. As a result, increasing investment in laboratory information systems is providing state‐of‐the‐art clinical laboratory support, which enhances clinical care processes and improves quality. These state‐of‐the‐art Laboratory Information Systems, when linked with other clinical information systems such as Computerized Physician Order Entry and Electronic Medical Record, will support further healthcare quality improvement.
Originality/value
This article includes the most current information available on the US hospital laboratory information system applications.
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Maryati Yusof and Mohamad Norzamani Sahroni
The purpose of this paper is to present a review of health information system (HIS)-induced errors and its management. This paper concludes that the occurrence of errors is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a review of health information system (HIS)-induced errors and its management. This paper concludes that the occurrence of errors is inevitable but it can be minimised with preventive measures. The review of classifications can be used to evaluate medical errors related to HISs using a socio-technical approach. The evaluation could provide an understanding of errors as a learning process in managing medical errors.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was performed on issues, sources, management and approaches to HISs-induced errors. A critical review of selected models was performed in order to identify medical error dimensions and elements based on human, process, technology and organisation factors.
Findings
Various error classifications have resulted in the difficulty to understand the overall error incidents. Most classifications are based on clinical processes and settings. Medical errors are attributed to human, process, technology and organisation factors that influenced and need to be aligned with each other. Although most medical errors are caused by humans, they also originate from other latent factors such as poor system design and training. Existing evaluation models emphasise different aspects of medical errors and could be combined into a comprehensive evaluation model.
Research limitations/implications
Overview of the issues and discourses in HIS-induced errors could divulge its complexity and enable its causal analysis.
Practical implications
This paper helps in understanding various types of HIS-induced errors and promising prevention and management approaches that call for further studies and improvement leading to good practices that help prevent medical errors.
Originality/value
Classification of HIS-induced errors and its management, which incorporates a socio-technical and multi-disciplinary approach, could guide researchers and practitioners to conduct a holistic and systematic evaluation.
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Wouter Keijser, Jacco Smits, Lisanne Penterman and Celeste Wilderom
This paper aims to systematically review the literature on roles of physicians in virtual teams (VTs) delivering healthcare for effective “physician e-leadership” (PeL) and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to systematically review the literature on roles of physicians in virtual teams (VTs) delivering healthcare for effective “physician e-leadership” (PeL) and implementation of e-health.
Design/methodology/approach
The analyzed studies were retrieved with explicit keywords and criteria, including snowball sampling. They were synthesized with existing theoretical models on VT research, healthcare team competencies and medical leadership.
Findings
Six domains for further PeL inquiry are delineated: resources, task processes, socio-emotional processes, leadership in VTs, virtual physician-patient relationship and change management. We show that, to date, PeL studies on socio-technical dynamics and their consequences on e-health are found underrepresented in the health literature; i.e. no single empirical, theoretic or conceptual study with a focus on PeL in virtual healthcare work was identified.
Research limitations/implications
E-health practices could benefit from organization-behavioral type of research for discerning effective physicians’ roles and inter-professional relations and their (so far) seemingly modest but potent impact on e-health developments.
Practical implications
Although best practices in e-health care have already been identified, this paper shows that physicians’ roles in e-health initiatives have not yet received any in-depth study. This raises questions such as are physicians not yet sufficiently involved in e-health? If so, what (dis)advantages may this have for current e-health investments and how can they best become involved in (leading) e-health applications’ design and implementation in the field?
Originality/value
If effective medical leadership is being deployed, e-health effectiveness may be enhanced; this new proposition needs urgent empirical scrutiny.
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Kaori Kusuda, Kazuhiko Yamashita, Akiko Ohnishi, Kiyohito Tanaka, Masaru Komino, Hiroshi Honda, Shinichi Tanaka, Takashi Okubo, Julien Tripette and Yuji Ohta
To prevent malpractices, medical staff has adopted inventory time-outs and/or checklists. Accurate inventory and maintenance of surgical instruments decreases the risk of…
Abstract
Purpose
To prevent malpractices, medical staff has adopted inventory time-outs and/or checklists. Accurate inventory and maintenance of surgical instruments decreases the risk of operating room miscounting and malfunction. In our previous study, an individual management of surgical instruments was accomplished using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a new management method of RFID-tagged instruments.
Design/methodology/approach
The management system of RFID-tagged surgical instruments was used for 27 months in clinical areas. In total, 13 study participants assembled surgical trays in the central sterile supply department.
Findings
While using the management system, trays were assembled 94 times. During this period, no assembly errors occurred. An instrument malfunction had occurred after the 19th, 56th, and 73th uses, no malfunction caused by the RFID tags, and usage history had been recorded. Additionally, the time it took to assemble surgical trays was recorded, and the long-term usability of the management system was evaluated.
Originality/value
The system could record the number of uses and the defective history of each surgical instrument. In addition, the history of the frequency of instruments being transferred from one tray to another was recorded. The results suggest that our system can be used to manage instruments safely. Additionally, the management system was acquired of the learning effect and the usability on daily maintenance. This finding suggests that the management system examined here ensures surgical instrument and tray assembly quality.
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