Trends in Health Care Information Technology and Informatics

It was not until 1994 that the United States health care industry established information systems capable of handling a universal delivery system. The health care industry has been one of the unhurried organizations to embrace the computer revolution in regards to patient care. Health care comprises of the use and management of a profusion of information that must be collected, managed, reviewed, processed, and mined (McHaney, n.d.). Technology changes rapidly and maintaining the status quo in health care, actually means falling behind, and health organizations cannot afford to do that in a technology-driven world (Rutsky, 1999). This chapter investigates the trends in health care information technology and informatics. The chapter will consist of the following sections: background; issues controversies, and problems; solutions and recommendation; future research directions; and finally the conclusion. This will enhance the field of health information and technology and its influences on all aspects of health organizations and society in general.