1. Healthcare informatics is an interdisciplinary field that involves computer/information
sciences, medicine/health sciences, and management sciences. It involves health data
science and how to use that knowledge to “create tools and interventions that affect the
world”.
2. Data is raw facts from observation and information is data combined with context. Data
does now include context, it is discrete, unorganized, and objective. Information is more
organized and structured. Data becomes more useful and relevant with context.
3.
1. Reliable
2. Accurate
3. Current
4. Secure
5. Relevant
4.
1. Hospitals began to automate selected administrative operations such as payroll/patient
accounting
2. These systems developed by analyst and programmers and only accessed by computer
analysts/programmers
3. Systems were run on large and expensive centralize computers
4. No attention given for developing clinical information systems
5.
1. Development of powerful and inexpensive Personal Computers (PCs)
2. PCs had computing power and storage capacity that equaled or exceeded large mainframe
systems of the 60’s and 70’s
3. Development of electronic data networks: in which PCs and larger computer systems could
be linked together for sharing information on a decentralized basis. No integration of data yet
across departments
4. An Increase in the number of vendors entering the healthcare software business for both:
administrative and clinical support