Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
information technology (IT) must be more readily deployed to this
field. In recent years, medical information systems have played an
increasingly important role in supporting doctors and nurses,
enhancing the quality of medical services, reducing medical
expenses, and improving the care of chronic patients. Therefore,
medical informatization has drawn much attention in various coun-
tries, for example, the research and development of hospital infor-
mation systems (HIS), electronic medical record (EMR) systems,
picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), and National
Health Information Network in the United States, the EMR systems
and PACS in the United Kingdom, the electronic health record
(EHR) system in Canada, the National E-Health Technology Archi-
tecture in Australia, the Red System in Denmark, the Grenoble
Integrated HIS of No.8 health center in France, and the “Jin Wei”
Project in China.
The majority of previous studies have focused on (1) informati-
zation for hospitals and medical institutions within organizations,
regional medical informatization, or the construction of health infor-
mation infrastructure, and (2) standardization, such as HL7 (Health
Level Seven), Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine
(DICOM), and IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise). Little
effort was made toward the development of health care service
systems for general individual users.
The health care community has recognized the need to transform
from the current hospital-centralized and treatment-based mode, to a
prevention-oriented and comprehensive one in which hospitals, com-
munities, families, and individuals are closely involved. The new
mode will have to provide individuals with intelligent health infor-
mation management and health care services. In addition, it will allow
them to enjoy medical prevention and health care services in their
daily lives just as today's Internet shopping and teleconferences.
The advancement of information technologies brings more oppor-
tunities for innovations in health care. Technologies such as service-
oriented architecture, cloud computing, and autonomic computing can
facilitate the construction of service systems with higher reusability,
flexibility, extensibility, and robustness. Currently, the computing
model is transitioning toward one that is user-centered. A new comput-
ing model is bound to change the original business model of the entire
medical and health care industry. However, most of the existing medical
