Information Technology for the Health Professions

For freshman/sophomore-level courses in Computers in Health Care. This comprehensive survey of the interconnections of IT and health care is the only up-to-date text that teaches computer literacy AND introduces students to the uses of information technology in health care delivery. It familiarizes students with the basic vocabulary and concepts necessary in computer literacy-including discussions of hardware and software, communications and networking, ethical issues, and privacy concerns. In addition, it discusses how IT is transforming every aspect of health care-from administrative applications (such as the electronic medical record), to clinical systems involved in direct patient care, to special-purpose applications (such as simulation software used in the education of health care professionals). Section I provides a general introduction to computer literacy and information technology-at a level appropriate for health care students. Section II examines the impa

Information technology continues to change many aspects of society, including health care and its delivery. InInformation Technology for the Health Professions,we take a practical approach to introducing health care professionals to the myriad uses of computer technology in health care fields. After a brief introduction to the essential concepts needed to understand computer hardware, software, telecommunications, and the privacy and security of information, we see how these technologies have affected various aspects of health care. The term information technology includes not only computers, but also communications networks and computer literacy, that is, knowledge of the uses of computer technology. Rapidly changing computer technology continues to exert a major influence on all aspects of society. The understanding of the interconnections of hardware, software, networks, and new medical techniques is essential. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION The second edition ofInformation Technology for the Health Professionshas been expanded and updated for the new millennium. It includes new sections on recent technological developments and their uses in health care and its delivery, on new laws affecting privacy and security of medical information, an expanded chapter on medical informatics and the administrative uses of computers, and a new chapter on computer technology in dentistry. Dated materials have been deleted. AlthoughInformation Technologyis geared to an audience interested in health care, it is written at a level appropriate for the layperson. Chapter 1: Introduction to Information Technology--Hardware, Software, and Telecommunications The first three chapters of the first edition on computer literacy, computer hardware and software, and networking and telecommunications have been condensed, keeping only information essential to students and others interested in computers and health care. These chapters have been combined into a new Chapter 1, which provides the student with information necessary to anyone living and working in a computerized society. Chapter 2: Security and Privacy in an Electronic Age Chapter 2 deals with the problems of security and privacy of information in electronic form and on networks. Both general issues of security and privacy in an electronic age and problems specific to health care are discussed. New issues of security and privacy are raised by new laws. The student is introduced to the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) that provides the first national minimum standards for the privacy of medical information. The book also deals with the effects of the USA Patriot Act on medical privacy. Chapter 3: An Introduction to Medical Informatics and the Administrative Applications of Computers Chapter 3 is an expanded introduction to medical informatics--the use of technology to organize information in health care. The student is introduced to the traditional classifications of clinical uses of computers (used in direct patient care); administrative uses of computers used in office administration, financial planning, billing, and scheduling; and the special purpose uses of computers in education and pharmacy. The chapter has an expanded section on the administrative uses of computers discussing the computerization of tasks in the medical office, the electronic medical record, and bucket billing. It also introduces the student to grouping and coding systems, insurance, and the various accounting reports used in the health care environment. Chapter 4: Telemedicine Chapter 4 deals with telemedicine and its rapid expansion. Telecommunications and connectivity have made possible telemedicine, from the simple sharing of patient records or X-rays over networks, to distance exams, to remote operation of medical instruments, to teleconferencing. The earliest tele