A Vision for Patient-Centered Health Information Systems - Essay Example

"A Vision for Patient-Centered Health Information Systems" is a great example of a paper on the health system. The article chosen for review is ‘A Vision for Patient-Centered Health Information Systems’ written by Alex Krist and Steven Woolf. In this article, the authors have focused on the use of electronic health information systems for patients. The authors have emphasized the issue that currently the health information systems are being primarily used by clinicians and other medical professionals for different purposes, such as, storing health-related information, updating information, and generating accurate reports based on the stored information. However, less importance is being given to the needs of patients regarding the use of health information systems.

The authors have stressed the need of introducing a new technology that should be able to respond to the needs of the patients as well. For example, a patient-centered technology should be made to assist patients in storing their personal health information, enable interaction between patients and medical professionals, and keep patients up to date regarding their clinical information. Similarly, the information stored in the information system should be in the easy language in order to facilitate patients in reading and understanding the information. Moreover, there should be such functionality in the system that should offer self-management and logistical support to patients. These kinds of differences between clinician-centered and patient-centered information systems have been mentioned in the article to support the need for developing a patient-centered health information system.

Book Used:

McGonigle, D., Mastrian, K. (2012). Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge, Sudbury, MA: Jones and Barlett.

Chapters’ Summary:

            The 20th chapter of the book is about consumer information and educational needs. The chapter is focused on the health information needs of consumers and the level of information that is accessible to them. The authors have stressed the need of educating people regarding their health necessities, as well as on the ways which can be used to make people aware of their health needs. Healthcare organizations and schools can play a vital role in providing health education to people. Moreover, the use of the internet is also a viable option if one wants to get health-related information. At the school level, the provision of health information can work very well for children as it can help them become well-informed and knowledgeable citizens in the future.

            The 21st chapter of the book deals with the use of informatics to promote health education among people. Some core public health functions have been discussed which include making health information accessible to everyone, making people aware of different diseases and the ways to prevent them, and creating awareness about health planning and recovery processes. The use of health information systems and new technologies has been promoted to help people gain awareness of health-related information. These tools can also be used for communicating knowledge about health problems and prevention methods to the community. Moreover, the use of treatment feedbacks has also been promoted to improve responses and promote health education in society.

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