Technology and Healthcare

Technology and Healthcare
Throughout history there have been individuals that have collected and used data to improve the health of communities. With the advent of computers there has been a greater development of how this data on disease outbreaks are tracked and handled. The use of information technology in healthcare has created faster tracking and monitoring systems used to study emerging disease outbreaks such as SARS, influenza, HIV and even bioterroism attacks.
In a way public health informatics has been around since before the creation of computers. Individuals such as Dr. John Snow and Florence Nightingale recognized patterns that pointed towards causes of disease outbreaks and the need to correct such situations to improve health outcomes.

In 2005 Vachon said, Historically, Dr. John Snow can be disignated the “father” of public health informatics (PHI). In 1854, he plotted information about cholera deaths and was able to determine that the deaths were clustered around the same water pump in London…when the pump handle was removed, cholera disappeared. It was Dr. Snow’s focus on the cholera population rather than on a single patient that led to his discovery of the source of the cholera outbreak. (Mastrian & McGonigle, 2012, p. 368)

Dossy (2000) said, “Florence Nightingale should also be recognized as an early public health informaticist. Her recommendation about medical reform and the need for improved sanitary conditions…led to a total reorganization of how and what healthcare statistics should be collected.” (Mastrian & McGonigle, 2012, p. 368)
With the development of computer surveillance systems, software developers have given healthcare providers tools to help track disease outbreaks more easily. The advantage of such syndromic surveillance systems allows providers to perform risk assessment of different situations such as “pesticide use, exposure to harmful chemicals, contaminants in food and water, and toxic pollutant in the air to determine if potential hazards need to be addressed.” (Mastrian & McGonigle, 2012, p. 370) The major objective of such systems “is to identify illness clusters early, before diagnoses are confirmed and reported to public health agencies, and to mobilize a rapid response, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality.” (Henning, 2004, p. 7)
Syndromic surveillance systems show anticipated disease outbreaks or possible bioterroism attacks. This information can be useful to the public and doctors and nurses alike. The information that can be provided can allow an individual to make a better educated decision to better prepare for possible future events and can give healthcare providers a head start on being ready for such events if they should occur.

Preparedness in public health means more timely detection of potential health threats, situational awareness, surveillance, outbreak management, countermeasures, response, and communications. Surveillance uses health-related data that signal a sufficient probability of a case or an outbreak that warrants further public health response. (Mastrian & McGonigle, 2012, p. 371)

The ethical and legal challenges’ that may occur with this topic involves HIPPA. The conditions under which data can be shared must be clarified. Finding a balance between privacy and confidentiality is a must. Agencies run into road blocks when it comes to determining what information can be shared. The confusion lies in what is considered individually identifiable health information. The rule is confusing at best as to what information is used and which is not. Since zip code or country of residence is considered identifiers by HIPPA this can create a barrier in the sharing of information for syndromic surveillance functions.
The decision needs to be made about what information can be shared in certain situations that involves public health. When it comes to the possibility of a global pandemic or bioterroristic threats, guidelines need to be estabilished on the importance of protecting individual privacy or community health. If a contagious group is identified then there needs to be guidelines put in place to protect them. In order to better determinine future implication of such situations there needs to be more standardization on how data is handled.
The revolution in IT has made the capture and analysis of health data and the distribution of healthcare information more achievable and less costly. (Mastrian & McGonigle, 2012, p. 374) The use of IT has made it easier to exchange captured data with various health agencies easier and faster. In the future with more standardization of data collection and what types of information can be exchanged in place, health care providers will have an easier time with reponse reactions and patient care.

References
Henning, K. J. (2004). What is Syndromic Surveillance? Retrieved from Center for Disease Control website: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm53SU01.pdf
Mastrian, K. G., & McGonigle, D. (2012). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.