Natacha Picazo
Healthcare informatics is a new era of medical records developed over the last 30 years (Collen, 1986). It consists of computer processed healthcare information used to accurately study, diagnose, and treat patients or used as a database to portray real time health crisis to call attention to pandemics or illnesses (Luis, et al., 2020). The science behind healthcare informatics entails multidisciplinary actions to attain the necessary informatics. Data must be obtained, gathered, organized, managed, recorded, retrieved, distributed, and broadcasted by means of computer science (McGonigle & Garver Mastrian, 2015). The purpose of the informatics is to eliminate error and have accurate statistical information about each patient or subject to proper assess and diagnose. The information may include numeric values like vitals, audio like tape recordings, images like x-rays, or video like ultrasound. The purpose of this compilation is to have real time information, accurately proposed by technology, to follow the right treatment plan for patients or identify if an illness is getting worse. Evolution has brought us, healthcare workers, the opportunity to see in the moment the movement of a fetus, the inflammation of the gallbladder, and the heart rhythm in an echocardiogram. This technology allowing us to precisely assess a patient, and the informatics gathering the data to compare and treat a patient is now being used in every healthcare setting across the country. Current healthcare informatics is evolving at such a fast pace, even the government is taking part. They adopted the HITECH Act, implementing electronic medical records (McGonigle & Garver Mastrian, 2015). There is not a healthcare setting today functioning without the support of healthcare informatics (Simoes, 2015). It has reduced cost, improved efficiency, and improved healthcare. Making a patients well being simpler to monitor, and more assessable to the providers.
References
Collen, M. F. (1986). Origins of Medical Informatics. Western Journal of Medicine, 145(6), 778-785. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1307150/
Luis, F.-L., Kushniruk, A. W., Georgiou, A., Basu, A., Petersen, C., Ronquillo, C., . . . Nohr, C. (2020). Evidence-Based Health Informatics as the Foundation for the COVID-19 Response: A Joint Call for Action. Methods of Information in Medicine, 59(6), 183-192. doi:10.1055/s-0041-1726414
McGonigle, D., & Garver Mastrian, K. (2015). Nursing Informatics. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Simoes, E. (2015). Health Information Technology Advances Health Care Delivery and Enhances
Research. Missouri Medicine, 112(1), 37-40. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6170093/
Yindra Burgos Farah
Early work in healthcare informatics started in the 1950s and involved experts in a variety of disciplines, including biotechnology, biophysics, epidemiology, clinical documentation, and biometrics. In the 1960s, the use of computers in various medical tasks made significant advances in healthcare informatics (Norberg, Harrison, 2020). In the 1970s and 1980s, computers became smaller and more portable, desktop and laptop models became a viable and effective tool for hospitals and clinics of all sizes. In the 2000s, many healthcare leaders recognized the potential of technology in healthcare, diagnostics, documentation, information sharing, and care coordination. By 2015, nearly 85% of hospitals were using at least basic electronic health records (EHRs) as the primary means of storing and sharing patient treatment data. Today’s medical practice uses a combination of health informatics systems (Norberg, Harrison, 2020). These systems simplify clinical and hospital workflows and provide additional accessibility to patients.
Health informatics and nursing informatics are highly relevant to the evolving health system. New technologies and initiatives are constantly being developed. These new innovations are not without their clinical, administrative, and political environmental implications (Sweeney, 2017). It is important that everyone involved, including caregivers, managers, and service providers, maintain coordination. The use of informatics is found in many processes of the clinical environment. Clinicians and patients, both inpatients or outpatients, use online portal systems, electronic medical records, data recording devices such as vital signs machines and glucometers, as well as personal data devices and emails, to name just a few. Improved care, improved health outcomes, and expanded patient education are just a few of the improvements (Sweeney, 2017).
References
Sweeney, J. (2017). Healthcare Informatics.
Online Journal of Nursing Informatics
. 21(1).
Norberg, P., Harrison, A. (2020) Informatics in Health Service. Medicine Evolution. 22:173- 179
Natacha Picazo
A major health concern that must be confronted is obesity. Obesity is defined as excessive fat accumulation that may present health risk factors. In numeric values, it would be measured as a body mass index greater that 30kg/m2. This health concern is important and frightening because over one third of the United States adults have obesity (Fruh, 2017). This also is growing into children and young adults. People with obesity are more prone to other health risk factors like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression. Obesity is a gateway into a different disease that may be fatal. The secondary conditions like cancer, may not have a cure. Diabetes, as a secondary conditions, does not have a cure either. There are screenings conducted by primary care doctors and other healthcare facilities to prevent obesity. For example, children are monitored as they develop to ensure a healthy diet and activity is followed. Weight and BMI is recorded on a graph and compared to gender and age-related chart. This helps physicians monitor all children, and intervene when a child should change a diet, or participate in more physical activity. In adults, community health clinics, and primary doctors conduct annual wellness visits to keep track of the individual patients and monitor their overall health. Patients that are borderline obese are referred to nutritionist and physical trainers to change their current habits. This promotes healthier lifestyles and prevents secondary conditions due to obesity (Pi-Sunyer, 2010). Healthy People 2030 mentions obesity as one of the objectives to conquer for a healthier lifestyle. They focus on promoting physical activity and nutritious diets to maintain healthy weight (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2022). Fortunately, obesity is a disease that can be prevented with continuous monitoring of health wellness, and preventative measures like healthy eating habits and regular physical activity (Woo & S.M., 2010).
References
Fruh, S. M. (2017). Obesity: Risk factors, complications, and strategies for sustainable long‐term weight management. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, S3-S14. doi:10.1002/2327-6924.12510
Pi-Sunyer, X. (2010). Medical Risks of Obesity. HHS Author Manuscripts, 121(6), 21-33. doi:10.3810/pgm.2009.11.2074
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022). Healthy People 2030. Retrieved from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/overweight-and-obesity
Woo, J., & S.M., C. R. (2010). Prevention of Overweight and Obesity: How Effective is the Current Public Health Approach. Enviornmental Research and Public Health, 7(3), 765-783. doi:10.3390/ijerph7030765
Mayra Oliva Rivero
Diabetes
In America, over 35 million people have diabetes, and in every ten people, one person has diabetes. Moreover, over 80 million Americans have been diagnosed with prediabetes; these numbers are exceptionally high among African Americans and people of Hispanic origin (ODPHP, 2022). This topic aims to improve the quality of life by reducing the average number of new cases of diabetes among the American population and reducing the number of deaths among persons with diabetes.
If not discovered early or without proper health care, diabetes can have many secondary conditions and implications. However, the symptoms vary depending on the overall blood sugar levels in the body. People with type one diabetes usually experience more complications than prediabetes and type two diabetes (Gupta, 2018). The longer one suffers from diabetes, the higher the risk of developing secondary conditions. In the long run, the complications end up becoming life-threatening or disabling. Some of the difficulties include nerve damage, foot damage, hearing impairment, depression, and dementia.
Several criteria have been devised to understand the risk of suffering from diabetes and the complications associated with the disease. For instance, The National Diabetes Prevention Program was developed to help implement lifestyle intervention countrywide. Additionally, several studies have been conducted to understand the severity of these complications (Healthwise staff, 2020). The studies have helped fully understand the appropriate, evidence-based, and timely care that needs to be accorded to patients who have diabetes. For persons to be diagnosed with diabetes, they must possess symptoms of diabetes, show fasting levels of blood sugar, and have a 6.5% or higher hemoglobin A1c.
References
Gupta, S. (2018). Obesity and the prevalence of diabetes and diabetes-related cardiovascular comorbidities in Delaware. Delaware medical journal, 86(1), 13-20.
ODPHP, (2022). Healthy people 2030; Diabetes.
https://health.gov/healtypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/diabetes