Information Infrastructure in a Medical-Surgical Unit - Essay Example

In the healthcare environment, engineering can make several contributions. The field of engineering can offer several techniques to understand the information needs of a healthcare environment. With the help of engineering techniques, an efficient information infrastructure can be designed for medical-surgical units. Physicians and doctors spend a large percentage of their time on creating and maintaining medical records (Kumar et al, 2012).

Engineering can help determine important characteristics of a desirable information infrastructure. With the help of engineering techniques, it is possible to gather patients’ data and filter it. Electronic Medical Records or EMR is one of the greatest contributions of engineering. EMR does not only facilitate evidence-based decision but also enhance the implementation of best practices in a medical-surgical unit.

In the current century, clinicians, surgeons, and physicians are utilizing information tools that are old-fashioned. It is, therefore, imperative to develop an information infrastructure that can support the information needs of contemporary healthcare. The desired characteristics of information infrastructure for a medical-surgical unit include knowledge diffusion, reliable exchange of data, and availability of data.

In a medical-surgical unit, it is important for surgeons, physicians, and clinicians to make patient-care decisions. For this purpose, the availability of patients’ data as well as administrative data is very important. In several cases, a large portion of time is spent on searching and accessing data (Mamlin and Baker, 1973). However, with the help of EMR, it is possible to organize data in a way that it is available when required.

How can engineering help in establishing data standards?

Engineering can not only help in determining the characteristics of a desirable information infrastructure but also in establishing data standards. The importance of up-to-date information systems cannot be ignored in the current healthcare environment. Despite the significance of an updated information system, many surgeons and clinicians are using outdated tools for information management.

When designing an updated information system for a medical-surgical unit, it is important to set certain data standards. Engineering techniques and methods also have important implications for the establishment of data standards. The standards of this information infrastructure include data exchange, connectivity of data and information, the computing ability of the system, and others. The information infrastructure should have mobile, robust, and secure functionality. It would allow access to patients’ information from any location. The method of data storage must not only be confidential but also interoperable. The interoperability standard is important so that knowledge can be stored and structured at any location by any clinician or other healthcare provider. The standard of confidentiality is information protection; because the information of customers is sensitive that needs protection (Rouse, 2009).

It can be comprehended from these facts and perspectives that there are several information-technology needs of healthcare that can be addressed with the help of engineering.