HI501 Gehring

Health informatics (HI) is a multidisciplinary field that applies biomedical data and knowledge to solve problems and improve health outcomes. It has evolved from Clinical Information Processing in the 1970s to digitization and simulation today. Digitization involves converting health documents and images into digital format. Simulation uses medical imaging and computing models to imitate real-world scenarios. It offers safety benefits, learning opportunities, and skill mastery. Challenges include complex cases, fragmented sim models, and high costs. Evidence-based practice (EBP) combines research with expertise to guide clinical choices and enhance health outcomes. EBP faces challenges such as lack of support resources, cost and time requirements, and resistance to implementation. Hello, I'm Michelle Gehring, your podcast host. Let's start with defining health informatics or HI. HI is a multidisciplinary field. It applies biomedical data, information, and knowledge to solve problems, make decisions, and form questions. The end game is improved health outcomes. Quite a lofty goal. HI is fascinating because of its history, and even more so because it's still evolving. In the 1970s, it was called Clinical Information Processing, marked by fast growth, affordable systems, powerful processing, and early microcomputers. The computing and analysis phase further advanced hardware, software, interfacing, inputs, outputs, and computing slash analyzing data. Digitization is conversion of information into digital format so it can be studied. In HI, we apply digital technology to scan health documents or convert images like x-rays into electronic form. Digitization is a mouthful, and it has especially grown in the last seven to eight years. On to simulation. Biomedical simulation is defined as a tool to imitate real-world scenarios in an immersive way. It uses medical imaging and computing models, as we'll see. Three examples. Number one, supercomputers do billions of calculations each second. Built-in bioimaging simulates how viruses act, and perfect calculations how viruses respond to drugs at the atomic level. Two, clinical procedures. High-tech mannequins are used to simulate surgery, vital signs, IV vein placement, or childbirth. Three, engineering and 3D models. Northwestern Medicine uses 3D printers and biomedical simulation models to engineer cells to regrow tissues and organs. It's exciting what simulations offer. First, there are safety benefits. In studying a contagion, it's a safe setting, as viruses are 3D digital models. This eliminates need for a tightly controlled lab. Two, speaking from experience, mistakes are learning sources and non-threatening. Debriefing sessions after simulations teach lessons not found in books. Third, it lets us practice until skill mastery, and interestingly leads to better knowledge retention. Let's look at challenges. First, in complex cases, simulation hasn't been 100% adequate to address issues. Next, biomedical sim models have been fragmented, historically speaking. Third, sim labs and equipment are costly. I say from experience that new mannequins run from $30,000 and up. Maintaining a good university sim center costs millions. Moving to evidence-based practice, let's start with a definition. Evidence-based practice, or EBP, is the thoughtful use of research to guide practice. It's folding our expertise in with solid evidence. You might ask why it's needed. Well, EBP gives a roadmap to support clinical judgment, and in HI, how we choose and use technology. And two, with it, we make informed clinical choices. Johns Hopkins found that EBP enriches quality in the results. Let's look at benefits. First, EBP enhances individual and population health outcomes. Also, it's key to ensuring technologies are developed safely and timely. Third, EBP is shown to reduce and prevent errors that can lead to death and disability. EBP has challenges. One is working in a setting that lacks good support resources. EBP is costly and time-consuming. Also, some practitioners have difficulty understanding research or EBP terms. And third, there can be resistance or lack of interest to bring EBP into practice. Well, we're just about at time. Thanks for your time and attention, and all the best to you.