https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9 en-us 2023-01-23 19:18:03 UTC 2023-04-16 23:46:41 UTC hello@padlet.com margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2453787730 Key Takeaways: 
-health informatics is the intersection of information science, computer science, and health care
-health informatics provides information to help make health care-related decisions
-informatics is not the same as information technology
-used to improve outcomes and patient safety 

The article I posted this week provides additional information on legislation and governing bodies of health informatics in the U.S. The article also introduces some important uses of health informatics in the clinical setting, such as tracking of epidemics and pandemics and predictive medicine.

]]> 2023-01-23 19:27:40 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2453787730 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2464981687 Key Takeaways:
-nurses and nurse leaders need competency in informatics to move healthcare forward
-QSEN, TIGER, and AACN are working to better prepare the nursing workforce to be competent in informatics

This week, I found an article assessing informatics competency for the nurse leader. I particularly liked this article because it was completed at Partners Healthcare (now Mass General Brigham), where I work. The article highlights that many nurses have traditionally received "on-the-job" informatics training rather than meeting formal and standardized competencies earlier in their education. I will be interested to see how education on nursing informatics evolves as the field itself evolves and whether the academic setting will be able to keep up with rapidly changing standards for informatics. 

*Note that the highlights in the article I posted are not my own. ]]> 2023-02-01 17:48:25 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2464981687 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2468674575 Key Takeaways: 
-important to have standardized language in order to share data
-Big Data is helpful but messy
-lack of National Patient Identifier inhibits interoperability
-arguments for and against government involvement

The article I posted this week is from Forbes and deals with Epic, the largest EHR company in the U.S. (and the one with which most of us are familiar). The CEO of Epic states that patient privacy is a main concern in limiting interoperability in the way mandated by the federal government. However, the reality is that large EHR's like Epic are hesitant to embrace interoperability for a variety of other reasons, including financial incentives and difficulty integrating old software into new systems. It seems that private EHR companies are unlikely to embrace interoperability unless mandated by the federal government. ]]> 2023-02-04 22:36:47 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2468674575 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2468680571 Key Takeaways: 
-DIKW is a theoretical model that can be applied to nursing and healthcare informatics
-Informatics involves analyzing the relationships between data, information, knowledge, and wisdom to optimize outcomes

This week, I posted an article about how patient-generated health data can be used to influence clinical practice. Not only can asking patients to collect data help them become more involved in managing their health conditions, but it can also provide data that is more useful or realistic than might be collected in a clinical setting. This process is likely to work well for some patients and in some cultural settings but may be more challenging in others.

]]> 2023-02-04 23:01:36 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2468680571 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2495568999 Key Takeaways:
-2009 HITECH Act under President Obama allocated funding for incentive programs to incentivize adopting of EHRs
-EHR vendors need to be certified by CMS and need to have security, computerized provider ordering, and clinician decision support
-Health information exchange, patient-specific education, medication reconciliation, and patient electronic access, and secure messaging are also part of Meaningful Use 

I found an interesting article that compared the incentive programs in the HITECH Act to venture capital funding. The article found that the Meaningful Use incentive programs were associated with increased investment in health care information technology compared with other industries, suggesting the government incentive programs were more effective than if these advances had been left to the free market, or venture capital. This highlights the importance of public policy in health care rather than treating health care like any other business. ]]> 2023-02-26 23:14:18 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2495568999 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2495573150 Key Takeaways:
-Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) works with the EMAR to reduce medication errors
-specialty applications can be integrated into EHRs 
-Clinical decision support helps providers drive practice and keep patients safe 

The study I'm posting this week is a systematic review and meta-analysis showing that clinical decision support systems have been shown to improve physician performance and patient outcomes. Interestingly, the article breaks down effectiveness by various specialties, diseases and diagnoses. ]]> 2023-02-26 23:22:18 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2495573150 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2495576118 Key Takeaways:
-HIE provides a way for health care providers to securely share patient information electronically
-Current efforts for HIE adoption vary from state to state
-State-wide HIE programs rely on grant funding 

This week I'm posting a blog article that suggests HIE regulations should be more robust and should take a national approach rather than state by state. A national approach was considered in 2009, however a regional strategy was chosen to stimulate competition with the goal of improved technologies. The authors suggest the current state of HIEs has fallen short of this goal and that the U.S. would be better served by a national HIE program. ]]> 2023-02-26 23:28:42 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2495576118 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2527796385 Key Takeaways: 
-remote patient monitoring, virtual visits, and stored/forwarded information are all types of telehealth
-reimbursement for telehealth has improved
-telehealth can help reach patients who otherwise might not be able to come in for a visit, but drawbacks include a lack of physical exam or in-person connection

I've posted an article about the progress that has been made in telehealth since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when telehealth became more necessary than ever. The article points out some issues that remain, including legislation for telehealth, establishing evidence-based practical guidelines, and overcoming inequalities in telehealth usage. ]]> 2023-03-22 20:52:55 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2527796385 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2527811502 Key Takeaways:
-Gamification is the use of game thinking and mechanics to engage users
-Health games have been used in patients with dementia and Type 1 DM, among others

This week I've attached a blog article with some interesting examples of gamification in healthcare. It seems many of these games are focused on wellness, physical fitness, and prevention, though there are others that aid in chronic disease management as well. ]]> 2023-03-22 21:09:37 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2527811502 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2527815732 Key Takeaways:
-Medical errors can occur when alerts are ignored
-Patient portals can help engage the patient in their own care

This article from the Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality (affiliated with HHS) pointed out an interesting limitation to efforts to addressing alert fatigue. There are potential legal consequences to removing alerts, so organizations may be more reluctant to remove alerts for this reason. Switching from high to low priority alerts rather than removing alerts altogether is one way to mitigate this issue in some situations. ]]> 2023-03-22 21:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2527815732 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2556054661 Key Takeaways: 
-HIPAA provides privacy and security for clinical data in the health care setting
-Authentication, authorization, and accountability are important for maintaining security of data
-Data breaches are serious issues in informatics today

This article discusses the misconceptions about HIPAA, which were discussed particularly with regard to Covid vaccination. Despite claims to the contrary from certain political figures, it is not a violation of HIPAA to ask a person's vaccination status. HIPAA is also not applicable to employers, retail stores, journalists, or other organizations not related to health care. ]]> 2023-04-16 23:24:00 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2556054661 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2556058731 Key Takeaways:
-Data visualization can help with data interpretation and dissemination
-Data is more compelling when it is presented as a story 

This week's article comes from MIT's Sloan School of Management. As part of the MBA curriculum, they offer a course on Communications and Data Storytelling because it is such an important part of being successful in business. The section on empathy is particularly interesting, stating that one of the more difficult skills in data storytelling is understanding where the audience is coming from and how they'll react. Tailoring data storytelling to the audience is important for having an impact.


]]> 2023-04-16 23:32:10 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2556058731 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2556062561 Key Takeaways:
-Exploratory analysis is what you need to understand the data; explanatory analysis is the story you want to tell with the data
-Try different charts or designs to see which one will best explain your data 

This case report discusses best practices for data visualization in nursing. The report looked at best practices from cognitive science and computer science and used them to develop fall prevention materials in a hospital. ]]> 2023-04-16 23:39:01 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2556062561 margolil https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2556066874 Key Takeaways: 
-Basic ethical principles include autonomy, equality and justice, beneficence, non-maleficence, impossibility, and integrity 
-Principles of informatics ethics include information-privacy and disposition, openness, security, access, legitimate infringement, least intrusive, and accountability 

This article discusses some of the ethical issues in informatics that were brought to light during the Covid-19 pandemic. There was substandard reporting in many areas such as hospital capacity, healthcare supply chains, staffing needs, and infectious disease data which created vulnerabilities in the system during the pandemic. Having an ethics-based rationale for decisions around informatics can help get the public more on board with public health recommendations. ]]> 2023-04-16 23:46:41 UTC https://padlet.com/margolil/r6150cj14v1l6ql9/wish/2556066874