Healthcare information technology systems and applications

Healthcare IT

Information Technology is becoming an increasingly important part of our lives on many platforms. Professionally, an increasing amount of people are not only changing their working style from the office to the home, but also finding work online as an alternative to travelling to the workplace. Connecting socially with people is also gradually increasing in the online environment. It is therefore vital to implement policies that would encourage this trend while optimizing its benefits for citizens.

From the Chief Information Officer perspective, my main concern will be creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds to access online information and groups. A particular point of focus would be those income groups that cannot afford Internet access or computers. Low-cost Internet Cafes can for example be installed in communities where income issues are known to be a problem.

Education can also be an issue in this regard, where certain demographic groups find themselves intimidated by or negative towards computers. Certain minority groups and people above a certain age have for example be known to have more negative attitudes to computer technology than their counterparts in more mainstream demographic groups. I'd therefore target these groups specifically with educational efforts and improved Wi-Fi capabilities to ensure better access to all citizens. I believe that this is vital for the health of the community.

As a public leader, I would also work closely with governments to implement measures that would make public life easier and more equal for all citizens. Specifically, an important move in this regard is the implementation of electronic medical information for each citizen.

According to Blumenthal, converting medical records to electronic format will much improve the way in which medical services are provided to citizens. It will for example provide a much higher level of access for medical personnel, particularly when presented with emergencies. The medical community has struggled too long with the inefficiencies resulting from a paper-based system. This struggle is indeed not necessary, as the technology to mitigate it has been in existence for years.

From the citizen point-of-view, I would be concerned with the increased use of the Internet in terms of privacy issues. This is particularly so of sensitive information such as medical records. I would not necessarily want these to be readily available to anyone with an Internet connection and a search button.

In general, however, I find myself in agreement with the view that the sense of community is gradually changing. A large amount of the country's workforce is now online, either from their office buildings or from home. People all over the world can meet and communicate in an instant without ever meeting face-to-face. For the sense of community, I believe that this is a good thing. In an urban setting, where all but the most superficial of relationships have more or less been outmoded, online friendships are perhaps the best we can expect from the Information Age, and this is perhaps a good thing.