School of Public Health, Dilla University,

Ethiopia

Delelegn Emwodew (MPH In Health Informatics)

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Health Informatics Terminologies

3 Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson the student will able to:
▹ Define health informatics and related terms.
▹ Define the sub-domains of health informatics and identify
applications for each sub-domain.
▹ Differentiate between data, information, knowledge and
wisdom.
▹ Identify components of the information pyramid / levels of
information.
4
Informatics
▹ Informatics is the application of information technologies to
improve the information management function within an
organization.
5 Information Technology
▹ IT is the study, design, development, implementation, and
support of computer-based information systems,
particularly software applications and computer
hardware.
6 Information Science
▹ Is an interdisciplinary science primarily concerned with the
collection, storage, analysis, retrieval and dissemination of
information.
▹ It explain how we store, retrieve, and transmit information.
7 Computer Science
▹ Is the study of the theoretical foundations of information
and computation and of practical techniques for their
implementation and application in computer systems.
▹ Is the systematic study of algorithmic processes that
describe and transform data and information.
8 Information System
▹ In a broad sense, refers to the interaction between people,
algorithmic processes, data and technology to support
decision making.
▹ In a narrow sense, refers to the specific application
software that is used to store data records in a computer
system.
9 Information Management

▹ The process of assuring availability of the right information

to the right people, at the right time and place, and with
affordable price.
10 Health Informatics
▹ The intersection of information science, computer
science, and health care.
▹ HI encompasses the use of computer and information
sciences to benefit and advance the healthcare industry,
public health and individual patient care.
▹ It deals with the storage, organization, protection,
retrieval and analysis of healthcare information from a
variety of sources.
11 Cont..
▹ The results of the data analysis can then be used to make
real-world changes at healthcare facilities.
▹ The tools include computers, clinical guidelines, medical
terminologies, and information and communication
systems.
12 Sub-domains of Health Informatics
▹ Clinical informatics
▹ Medical informatics 
▹ Nursing informatics 
▹ Public health informatics
▹ Bioinformatics 
▹ Imaging informatics 
▹ Pharmacy informatics
▹ Dental informatics 
13 Clinical Informatics
▹ Clinical informatics is the application of informatics and information
technology for clinical research and patient care. 
▹ Clinical informaticians use their knowledge of patient care combined
with their understanding of informatics concepts and health informatics
tools to:
• Assess information and knowledge needs of health care professionals
and patients.
• Develop, implement, and improve clinical decision support systems.
• Develop health informatics tools which promote patient care that is safe,
efficient, effective, timely, patient-centered, and equitable.
14 Mental Health Informatics

▹ Mental health informatics is a branch of health

informatics focused on the use of information technology
(IT) and information to improve mental health.
15 Medical Informatics
▹ Medical informatics is a sub-discipline of health
informatics where skills in both medical and computer
sciences come together in an effort to improve healthcare
and patient outcomes.
▹ It concerned with the use of computers and communication
technology to acquire, store, analyze, communicate, and
display medical information and knowledge to facilitate
understanding and improve the accuracy, timeliness, and
reliability of decision making.
16 Nursing Informatics
▹ Nursing informatics is a specialty that integrates nursing
science with multiple information and analytical sciences
to identify, define, manage and communicate data,
information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice.
▹ Nursing informatics specialists have a strong nursing
background in addition to informatics training to facilitate
the implementation of user friendly and practical solutions
to staff.
17 Public Health Informatics
▹ Public health informatics is the systematic application of
information and computer science and technology to public health
practice, research, and learning.
▹ Activities may include:
▸ Collection and storage of vital statistics
▸ Collection and reporting of communicable diseases
▸ Disease surveillance
▸ Display disease statistics and trends
▸ Immunization
▸ Hospital statistics
18 Bioinformatics
▹ Bioinformatics is the application of statics and computer science
to the field of molecular biology.
▹ Concerned with storing, retrieving, sharing and analyzing
biomedical information for research and/or patient care. 
▹ Common activities in bioinformatics include:
▸ Mapping and analyzing DNA and protein sequences
▸ Aligning different DNA and protein sequences to compare them
▸ Creating and viewing 3-D models of protein structures
19 Imaging Informatics
▹ Also called Radiology Informatics or Medical Imaging
Informatics.
▹ It is the study of how information about and contained
within medical images is retrieved, analyzed, enhanced,
and exchanged throughout the medical enterprise.
20 Pharmacy Informatics
▹ Pharmacy informatics is the integration of IT and its
applications into the pharmaceutical practice.
▹ Focuses on leveraging technology systems to ensure
optimal patient safety, compliance, and health outcomes.
21 Dental Informatics
▹ Dental informatics is the application of computer and
information science to improve dental practice, research,
and program administration.
22 Consumer Health Informatics
▹ The branch of medical informatics that analyses consumers’ needs
for information; studies and implements methods of making
information accessible to consumers; and models and integrates
consumers’ preferences into medical information systems.
▸ A subspecialty of medical informatics
▸ Studies from a patient/consumer perspective the use of
electronic information
▸ Focuses on patients as the primary users of health information
23 e-Health
▹ eHealth is the use of emerging interactive technologies
such as internet, personal digital assistants, interactive
television and voice response systems, and mobile
computing to enable health improvement and health care
services.
 Electronic Medical Records
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▹ EMR is a computerized medical record used to capture,

store, and share information among healthcare providers.
▹ It improve healthcare quality through improving work flow,
reducing medical errors, minimizing treatment time and
improving patient care by creating a better linkage to all
care givers, reducing the need for file space and workers for
the retrieval and filing of medical records.
25 m-Health
▹ The provision of health-related services via mobile
communications.
▹ m-Health applications include:
• The use of mobile devices in collecting community and
clinical health data.
• Delivery of healthcare information to practitioners,
researchers, and patients.
• Real-time monitoring of patient vital signs and direct
provision of care via mobile telemedicine.
 Telemedicine
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▹ Telemedicine is the process of providing health care from
a distance through technology.
▹ Telemedicine can be:
• As simple as two doctors talking about a patient
through the telephone or
• As complex as a sophisticated global hospital
enterprise network that supports real-time remote
surgical operations.
27 Types of Telemedicine
▹ Tele-surgery: The ability for a doctor to perform surgery
on a patient even though they are not physically in the
same location.
▹ Tele-radiology: The transmission of radiological patient
images such as x-rays, CTs, and MRIs from one location to
another for the purposes of interpretation and/or
consultation.
▹ Tele-care: The use of telecommunication systems to
provide remote assistance in therapy to patients.
28 Information Hierarchy
▹ Data: is a collection of raw facts and figures.
▹ Unorganized and unprocessed facts.
▹ For example, “Alemu” or “34” are data.
▹ No meaning attached to it as a result of which it may have
multiple meaning.
29 Cont..
▹ Information: formatted, filtered, organized, structured,
interpreted, summarized data.
▹ Processed data or meaning full data.
▹ Data + meaning = information.
▹ Answers questions: what, who, when, where.
30 Cont..

▹ Knowledge: information that has been organized,

internalized and integrated with experience or study.
▹ It is an Understanding gained through experience.
▹ Information + application = knowledge
▹ Answer ‘how’ question
31 Cont..

▹ Wisdom: represents principles, insight and philosophies

by integrating knowledge.
▹ Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong
attempt to acquire it.
▹ Answer ‘why’ question
THANKS!
Any questions?

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