Using computers in healthcare has numerous amounts of benefits, but its main function is to improve the quality and effectiveness of care and additionally, to reduce the overall costs. However, the use of computers in the Health Sector has been criticised for not being as modern and up-to-date as other computerised systems within a profession sector.
The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research is at the forefront to developing and improving these computerised systems. It is believed that with the increased use of computers within the Health Sector, computers will eventually begin to improve the quality of service and reduce costs.
It is believed that the automated hospital information systems can help to improve the quality of care because of their far-reaching capabilities. An example is the HELP system, which is one of the first information systems in a hospital to combine the use of computers for storing and transferring information with using them for giving advice to solve clinical problems. The use of the HELP integrated system shows that the risk of wound infection has decreased significantly when antibiotics are given two hours before surgery. This was the first study of how timing of prophylaxis affects surgical wound infections in actual clinical practice. Additionally the HELP system detected 60 times as many adverse drug reactions in patients. The computer-detected reactions, 95% of which were moderate to severe, occurred in 648 patients over 18 months.
So with the help of a computer system within the Health Sector, data can be analysed and research can be taken in order to benefit not only the running of the hospital, but also the overall well-being of its patients.
The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research is at the forefront to developing and improving these computerised systems. It is believed that with the increased use of computers within the Health Sector, computers will eventually begin to improve the quality of service and reduce costs.
It is believed that the automated hospital information systems can help to improve the quality of care because of their far-reaching capabilities. An example is the HELP system, which is one of the first information systems in a hospital to combine the use of computers for storing and transferring information with using them for giving advice to solve clinical problems. The use of the HELP integrated system shows that the risk of wound infection has decreased significantly when antibiotics are given two hours before surgery. This was the first study of how timing of prophylaxis affects surgical wound infections in actual clinical practice. Additionally the HELP system detected 60 times as many adverse drug reactions in patients. The computer-detected reactions, 95% of which were moderate to severe, occurred in 648 patients over 18 months.
So with the help of a computer system within the Health Sector, data can be analysed and research can be taken in order to benefit not only the running of the hospital, but also the overall well-being of its patients.