Health IT to improve the quality and safety of medication management Essay

Health IT to improve the quality and safety of medication management - Essay Example The purpose of this study is to explore the type of health IT that has been integrated in health centers to improve the quality of health care offered to the patients. It is also aimed at investigating the impacts of IT on medication prescription. The study will cover two case studies, one in the USA and the other in Australia. Admittedly, good health is vital requirement for every living being. From the medical point of view, human health is considered as a key area that deserves a lot of care and attention. Seriousness should be a driving force for all doctors and other medical practitioners. Bad health poses deathly risks to people; many fatal cases have come to be due to access to poor health facilities. Studies have shown that over the last fewer decades before the incorporation of computing and other modern technologies, many errors have been occurring in the field of medicine. A compelling example is the data got from the US and Australia. Information technology is among other things that have led to tremendous transition in medicine. Information technology has transformed the world greatly leading to better life assurance to patients. All health related issue need the integration of IT in order to mitigate some errors that are currently evident in the field of medicine. The integration of IT in health related issue should be handled with great care or seriousness that is deserved. If integrated as expected, IT can effectively help to save the lives of many. This study will demonstrate important things that need to be done to see to it that improvement has been achieved in safety and quality of treatment using IT. This chapter consists of five sections that are the background of the study, research questions, significant of the study, limitation of the study and its scope. Background of the study The usage of health IT has emerged with the increasing advancement in technology. Health IT refers to the use or practice of information and communication techn ology in health centers to provide health care to patients and the population. Health IT encompasses many activities such as results reporting, health documentation, order communication and care planning, among others. There are quite a number of platforms that can be used in health IT applications. Some of these platforms include cellular phones, touch screen kiosks, personal digital assistants (PDDAs) and desktop computer applications. There are different types of Health IT applications but the widely used include personal health records (PHR), Electronic heath records (EHR) Electronic medical records (EMR), computer provider order entry, telemedicine, alerts and reminders in clinics, computerized systems of clinical decision support, electronic exchange of health information and consumer health informatics applications. The used of health IT has been designed to the delivery of health care services to patients and t