How Are Databases Used in Organisations - Essay Example

A database is simply a collection of records. These records are logically related and are neatly organized so that it is easily accessed, managed andupdated. Databases are divided into tables. A table stores information about one area or entity in the database. Each table has different attributes or fields. Each table has a number of records. Databases can be organized by different means. The most common approach is through the relational model. Relational model follows a tabular database in which data is defined such that it can be reorganized and accessed in a number of ways. Another type of databases is distributed databases. These are databases which are scattered and stored over different systems on a network. Object-oriented databases use the concept of classes and subclasses to store and organize data. Databases usually do not exist in isolation but are part of database systems. A database system, besides the collection of records, provides a number of features such as searching for records, accessing them and updating them. Typically databases use the language SQL (Structured Query Language) to access the data and make changes to it. Popular database systems include Oracle, IBM’s DB2 and Microsoft Access. Databases play a vital and indispensible role in organizations today and are of great importance. One of the reasons for this is that they have replaced the old paper files and records. This makes the information become compact and is no longer scattered in paper files. Not only do paper files taka a lot of space, they are also vulnerable of being destroyed by fire etc. Besides saving in the space, the database provides an easier access to data. It allows the users to retrieve data in very little time and to update it easily. Data from a database can be retrieved and sorted in a number of ways depending on the requirements. Databases can provide the same information to a number of users at the same time. A large number of users can access the information and update it simultaneously. This is not possible with manual systems (SQLServer.com). Databases usually contain collection of data records of files related to a common subject or entity. Typically databases are part of information systems. These systems are used for a number of purposes. In a business organization, databases are used for storing information on finance, sales, customer records etc. Similarly, databases are immensely used in banking, healthcare and education industries. In this paper, we shall focus on the use of databases in health care industry . Healthcare is an important industry and there is a large number of information involved. This information needs to be stored, organized and accessed for a number of uses. Hence, there is enormous use of databases in the health industry. There are a number of areas within the healthcare category where databases are used. Electronic health record (EHR) is one area where databases are used. An Electronic health record system is the systematic collection of health related information about a patient or group of patients, stored in an electronic form. This information can be shared across different healthcare systems and can be used by a number of users. The information can be stored in an enterprise-wide network restricted to a single organization, or it may be available on a public network. The records may include comprehensive information about the patients such as the medical history, test results, immunization and allergies etc. EHR systems are usually generated and maintained within an institution such as clinics, hospitals or medical offices. EHR systems are collection of records. Hence, the core feature behind every EHR system is the database. These databases are designed to store the patient records. An Electronic Health Record system may contain more than one database and each database may have several tables. The databases in EHR systems also store other information such as digital version of X-rays, ultrasounds, ECG’s and videos. The data can be easily retrieved at any time and be searched and sorted to make efficient use of it. Secondly, since databases have the feature of allowing access to the same data to multiple users, the same patient record can be viewed by different doctors or different departments at the same time. Moreover, data can be available electronically at any place and the users do not have to physically carry information. Also, the information can smoothly flow across multiple departments or organizations and no paperwork is involved. Not only does all this save the cost of paperwork, it also saves the user’s time. The system also allows all the updates made to be traced for accuracy and hence the chances of errors are reduced. Further, the data stored in electronic form is frequently backed up and is more secure as compared with the paper records (Gunter & Terry). Health Informatics is another area in the domain of healthcare where databases play an important role. Health informatics refers to the use of resources, methods and devices which facilitate acquiring, storing, retrieving and use of information in the field of health. The core areas of health informatics are clinical guidelines, medical terminologies, and information systems. The use of health informatics is across all medical areas which include dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, public health and medical research. Health informatics, as the name implies, is centered across the use of information. This information is stored in database and hence there is great use of databases. Health informatics provides the architectures for electronic medical records and other health information systems. It also covers the decision support systems and clinical decision systems. Further, it provides the information on medical standards and vocabularies for medical terms. All this information is stored in the form of databases and is accessed by different users through different means (Olmeda, 2000). Another area of use of databases within the health care industry is Hospital Information Systems (HIS). Hospital Information Systems are systems designed to control the operations of hospitals and clinics, hence these are also known as Clinical Information Systems (CIS). These are designed to manage the financial, administrative, clinical and operational areas of a hospital. The idea is to cover all the processes and operations of the hospital into one complete system. These may be purely computerized or may involve the use of papers in certain areas. However, the use of computer systems is there. HIS may be composed of a number of individual software components which perform specific tasks. As seen, HIS controls the operations of a hospital and is largely dependent on the use of data. The data is stored in databases and hence there is enormous use of databases in any hospital information systems. Each individual module or component of HIS may have its own database or there may be a central database for the entire organization. The databases store information about the different aspects such as doctor’s records and their attendance, payroll records of hospital staff, financial information about the hospitals funds and billing information. In the absence of databases, this data would be maintained on paper records or files. In that case it would be very difficult to maintain the records and there would be plenty of chances of errors. The data would also not be of much use (Olmeda, 2000). Many a time patients in emergency cases require blood. The blood has to be obtained from blood donors who match the required blood group. Hence, it is important to have a record on the blood donors. This record will be very extensive and will also be frequently accessed and searched. It is important that the searching process is fast and the storage is efficient. For this purpose, databases are used to maintain the data on blood donors so that the data can be maintained and easily searched. As a latest trend, databases are being increasingly used in the area of bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is the application of IT and computer science to the field of molecular biology. It involves the creation and advancement of database and algorithms to analyze biological data. Some of the activities in the area of bioinformatics are mapping and analyzing DNA and protein sequences, comparing different DNA and protein sequences and creating 3-D models of protein structures. All this extensively involves the use of large amounts of data. Such techniques cannot be achieved without using databases to store information. Hence databases are used to store data on bioinformatics which is retrieved using different information systems. Without the use of databases to store data, it would not be possible to achieve any desired results in the area of bioinformatics (Nair, 2007). Databases are collection of records related to a particular subject or organization. They are vast repositories of information which can be searched and data can be extracted easily. Hence they are of great use. In this paper, we have considered the use of databases in the healthcare industry and analyzed the role databases play. Databases are extremely important in storing records about patients, storing information about medical research, and maintaining records for hospital information systems. As a latest trend, databases are also being used in the area of Bioinformatics. Bibliography Gunter, T. D., & Terry, N. P. (n.d.). The Emergence of National Electronic Health Record Architectures in the United States and Australia: Models, Costs, and Questions. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1550638/ Liu, L., & Özsu, M. T. (2009). Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Nair, A. S. (2007, January). Computational Biology & Bioinformatics: A Gentle Overview. Retrieved from http://print.achuth.googlepages.com/BINFTutorialV5.0CSI07.pdf Olmeda, C. J. (2000). Information Technology in Systems of Care. SQLServer.com. (n.d.). What is a database? Retrieved from http://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid87_gci211895,00.html Read More