Clinical Information System Applications
Clinical information system applications is a collection of functionalities and amalgamation of medical equipment, systems and technologies that work together in collecting, organising, storing and analysing healthcare data and enabling secure access to them by interdisciplinary clinicians. The applications are designed to provide the patient's information on a real-time basis to enable quick decision making. Common clinical applications include Electronic Health Record (EHR, formally Electronic Medical Records), Computerised Provide Order Entry (CPOE), Clinical Decision Support, Training and Research application, Enterprise Scheduling application, Registration and Billing application, Clinical Assessment application and Medication Reconciliation application. Others, although not every common, include Web Station for Physician and Clinician Mobile. Nevertheless, Telehealth, Telemedicine and Personal Health Record applications are also becoming common to ease medication services to patients at a distant (Mattes, 2014; MacDonald, 2003).
Medication Administration application helps to document medical information while documenting accompanying administrative processes. Therapeutic Results Reporting enables the management to enter and manage results for therapeutic services. Electronic Health Records or Electronic Medical Records contains patients’ information from their personal information, such as name, address, age and sex, to clinical data like number of visits and medical prescriptions/ operations. Since it contains such useful data, it is a feeder system to other like Decision Support System. Clinical Decision Support System will provide tools for acquiring, manipulating, applying and displaying appropriate information concerning patients’ data, in correct, timely and evidence-based manner. Training and Research application provides information that physicians can use for research and training. By the system enabling data mining, physicians can be able to provide insights into certain diseases. Enterprise Scheduling application enables order entry of patient profile information, charge capture and interaction with the patient. Registration and Billing application enables healthcare providers to record patient medical and personal information with the accompanying medication charges. Clinical Assessment application enables caregivers to get and assess patient conditions and therapies involved. Medication Reconciliation is very important to integrate changes in medication reviews, whilst the Web Station for Physicians will provide the physicians with arrays of patients’ data. Clinical mobile application is efficient as it involves the physician obtaining patient’s specific information on the Web (Mattes, 2014; MacDonald, 2003).
. Telehealth has made it possible for patients to receive healthcare services through technologies such as e-mail, computers, telephone and interactive video. Telemedicine, which is a subset of Tele-health, involves medical sub-specialities such as teleradiology, telepsychiatry and telecardiology. Personal Health Records (PHR), which is owned by the patient himself, contains details of his health and healthcare services with different providers (Mattes, 2014; MacDonald, 2003). Lastly, Computerised Provider Order Entry (CPOE), refers to the system by which clinicians use to enter medication orders so that they can be transmitted directly to the pharmacy (AHRQ, 2014).
Integrating the Clinical Applications
Benefits of the Integration
If the integration is done effectively under the umbrella of Hospital Information Technology, it is eminent that hospitals and patients will reduce costs, and the quality of patient care will be more effective (Hillestad, et al., 2014). In this regard, medical errors will be reduced, because there will be increased procedural correctness and healthcare accuracy. Apart from repeated medication reduction, cost savings will also be done in reduced paperwork. Overall, there will be an expansion in healthcare services, due to medical affordability and real-time communications, which will enable healthcare professionals to serve many patients at ago (Paul, & David, 2005).
References
AHRQ. (2014). Computerised Provider Order Entry. PSNet. Retrieved on 07 November 2014
Hillestad, R. et al. (2014). Home about archive topic collection blog briefs theme issue
subscribe alerts manage my account expand can electronic medical record systems transform health care? Potential health benefits, savings, and costs. Health Affairs, 33(11).
MacDonald, K. (2003).Online Patient-Provider Communication Tools: An Overview. iHealth
reports. Retrieved on 07 November 2014 from http://www.chcf.org/~/media/MEDIA%20LIBRARY%20Files/PDF/P/PDF%20PatientProviderCommunicationTools.pdf
Mattes, J. (2014). Clinical applications designed by clinicians for clinicians. McKesson.
Retrieved on 07 November 2014 from http://www.mckesson.com/providers/health-systems/hospital-information-system-and-electronic-health-record/paragon-clinicals/
Paul C. T., & David, L. (2005). The missing link: bridging the patient-provider health
information gap. Health Affairs, 24(5), 1290-1295. Retrieved 07 November, 2014, from ABI/INFORM Global.ID: 899710641.
