COR JESU COLLEGE, INC.
Tres de Mayo, Digos City 8002, Davao del Sur
Tel No. 553-9714/ Fax No. (082) 553-2433
NCM 104
Module 14 : NEW TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO PUBLIC HEALTH ELECTRONIC INFORMATION
(2 HOURS)
This module aims to discuss new technologies related to public health electronic information.
Topic 1: EHealth in the Community
Topic 2: Roles of community health nurses
Learning Targets: 1. Explain the importance of information and communications
technology.
2. Describe the existing implementation of ICT for public health
in the philippines.
3. List the various roles community health nurses have in
implementing ICT for public health.
Concept/Digest
eHealth in the community
• With the advent of information and communication technologies, health data and
information can now be shared by one healthcare provider with another through
electronic transmission. Further, the use of internationally recognized standards, and
transmission and validation protocols that ensure client privacy and data protection have
made the exchange feasible in a secure manner.
• At present, a client receives healthcare services in various health facilities such as rural
health units (RHUs), government and/or private hospitals, and private clinics.
• The data remains in the health facilities where services were rendered. Healthcare
providers usually get the clients anecdotal information to obtain pertinent information
from previous health encounters following the traditional practice of using paper forms,
rather than having to access the clients health encounter record from previous health
facilities.
• Often times, this scenario leads to redundancy and additional setback for the client such
as repeating diagnostic procedures that may have been already facilitated in the previous
health encounters, duplication of treatments, inappropriate medication prescription due
to lack of information on allergy triggers, and/or incorrect diagnosis due to insubstantial
health history, among others. These problems can be prevented or eliminated if
healthcare providers have access to quality and complete information anytime and
anywhere.
• Guided by the PeHSP for UHC, one of the identified critical eHealth projects to address
the above situational health condition is the development and implementation of the
Philippine Health Information Exchange (PHIE).
• The PHIE is a platform for secure electronic access and efficient exchange of health data
and/or information among health facilities, health care providers, health information
organizations, and
government
agencies in
accordance with set
national standards in
the interest of
public health. The PHIE
is envisioned to
become an
integral
component of the
health care delivery system as part of health services available to all patients.
• It shall integrate and harmonize health data coming from different electronic medical
record systems and hospital information systems. It shall provide an infrastructure for
data/information sharing between health care providers, and support access to patients
records across providers in all geographic areas of the country; thereby, improving
efficiency and reliability of communication among participating health care providers.
• In general, its implementation shall promote public health, improve total patient care and
better decision making, while safeguarding the right to privacy of every individual.
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) – diverse set of technological tools and
resources used to communicate and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.
eHealth – Use of ICT for health. May 25, 2005 the fifty – eight World Health Assembly, was
adopted by the WHO recognizing eHealth as the cost -effective way using ICT in the health care
service, health surveillance, health literature, health education and research.
Extensive capabilities of eHealth
Communicating with a patient through a teleconference, electronic mail (email), short message
service.
Providing patient teaching with aid of electronic tools such as radio, television, computers,
smartphones, and tablets
Recording, retrieving, and mining data in an electronic medical record.
According to the WHO, ehealth encompasses three main areas.
- The delivery of the health information, for health professionals and health consumers,
through the internet and communications.
- Using the power of information technology and e-commerce to improve public health
services.
Ex. Through education and training of health workers.
- The use of e-commerce and e-business practice in health systems management.
The power of data and information
• Nurses are knowledge managers. They constantly process raw patient data into valuable
information to deliver evidenced-based and individualized interventions.
• Data are the fundamental elements of cognition, and as defined as unanalyzed raw facts
that do not imply meaning. When meaning is attributed to data and when data are
processed and analyzed, then data become information.
Health care system builds heavily on accurate
recording of obtained data.
Paper based methods may bring inconvenience when
it comes on interoperability of health services,
information backup and instant data access.
Problems may also emerge.
1. Continuity and interoperability of care stops
in the unlikely event that a record gets misplaced.
2. Illegible handwriting poses misinterpretation of data.
3. Patient privacy is compromised.
4. Data are difficult to aggregate.
5. Actual time for patient care gets limited.
Internal and external changes affecting health care informatics
1. The ability to manipulate large amounts of data.
2. The ability to relate data to cohorts of people who shares similar health problems
3. The ability to link to genomic data.
Information system benefits
1. Data are readily mapped, enabling more targeted interventions and feedback.
2. Data can be easily retrieved and recovered.
3. Redundancy of data is minimized
4. Data for clinical research becomes more available.
5. Resources are used efficiently
Data must have the following characteristics
1. Accuracy. Ensures that documentation reflects the event as it happened.
2. Accessibility. Data availability should the patient or any member of the health care staff
needs.
3. Comprehensiveness. Data inputted should be complete.
4. Consistency / Reliability. Having no discrepancies in data recorded makes it consistent.
5. Currency. All data must be up-to-date and timely.
6. Definition. Data should be properly labeled and clearly defined.
DOH introduced several health information systems that aim to improve the access of health
data.
1. Electronic Field Health Service Information System
2. Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System
3. Philippine Health Atlas
4. Unified Health Management Information System
Factor affecting eHealth in the country
1. Limited health budget
2. The emergence of free and open source software
3. Decentralized government
4. Target users are unfamiliar with the technology
5. Surplus of “digital native” registered nurses. Digital native describes a person who grew
up and is familiar with digital technologies and who uses them in daily living.
DOH Administrative Order No. 2010-0036, outlined the policy directions of universal health care.
Known as Kalusugan Pangkaahatan this reform agenda has three priority health directions:
1. Financial risk protection through program enrolment and benefit delivery.
2. Improved access to quality hospitals and health care facilities.
3. Attainment of the health- related
Millennium Development Goals
Electronic medical records - is basically
comprehensive patient records that are stored and
accessed from a computer or server.
Telemedicine – WHO define telemedicine as, “the delivery of health care services, where
distance is a critical factor, by all health care professionals using information and communications
technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of
disease and injuries, research and evaluation and for the continuing education of the health care
providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communities”
Four elements for telemedicine
1. Its purpose is to provide clinical support.
2. It is intended to overcome geographical barriers, connecting users who are not in the
same physical location.
3. It involves the use of various types of ICT.
4. Its goal is to improve health outcomes.
eLearning is basically the use of electronic tools to aid in teaching. Can also be used to educate
fellow health professionals.
Roles of community health nurses in eHealth
1. Data and records manager. Maintain the quality of data inputs in the EMRS, making sure
that information is accurate, complete, consistent, correct and current.
2. Change agent. Working closely with community and implementing eHealth with them and
not for them.
3. Educator. Nurses provide health education to individual and families through ICT tools.
4. Telepresenter. Needs may need to present the patient’s case to a remote medical
specialist.
5. Client Advocate. Nurse must safeguard patient records, ensuring that security,
confidentiality, and privacy of all patient information are being upheld.
6. Researcher. Responsible for identifying possible points for research and developing a
framework, based on data aggregated by the system
Learning activity
1. Discuss other possible reasons causing delay in implementing ehealth systems in the country.
2. Search for other existing community-based electronic medical records and telemedicine
projects that may be applicable in the Philippines.
3. Visit a health center and simply observe the workflow and overall situation. What are the
processes that simplify the staff’s productivity?
