Informatics in Primary Care: Strategies in Information Management for the Healthcare Provider / Edition 1

by Thomas E. Norris, Sherrilynne S. Fuller, Harold I. Goldberg, Peter Tarczy-Hornoch

Overview

Informatics, the study of the science of information and related disciplines, is being increasingly applied to medicine and healthcare. Medical schools are de­ veloping departments, divisions, and sections of medical (or biomedical) infor­ matics, and curricula are being created for medical students and residents. For many practicing physicians, questions such as "What is informatics?" and "Why is informatics important in medicine?" are becoming commonplace. Further, once these basics are understood, many physicians seek more complete information about this new "basic science. " The goal of this book is to provide primary care physicians with a practical in­ troductory understanding of medical informatics, focusing on areas of importance in primary care. Additionally, we seek to present clinical contexts in which some of the various applications of medical informatics can be applied. The book begins with an overview of medical informatics, based on the inter­ action (interface) between the patient and the primary care physician. Next, we study how this interaction can be documented with electronic medical records, and how information on laboratory data and imaging, originating from other elec­ tronic sources, can be integrated into the electronic medical record. We then cover several areas that concern the content of the information used in primary care. Areas of focus include evidence-based medicine, decision support, knowledge re­ sources, and patient education. Finally, this book concludes with five chapters concerning practical aspects of primary care informatics: workflow, privacy and security, electronic billing, reporting and analysis, and telecommunications.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780387953335
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	03/08/2002
Series:	Health Informatics
Edition description:	2002
Pages:	242
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.02(d)

About the Author

Norris, Thomas E., MD; Fulller, Sherrilynne S., PhD; Goldberg, Harold I., MD; Tarczy-Hornoch, Peter, MD

Table of Contents

1. Overview of Primary Care Informatics.- 2. Electronic Medical Record (EMR).- 3. Importing Data from Other Programs and Databases: HL7 Interfaces.- 4. Importing Laboratory Data.- 5. Importing Images.- 6. Evidence-Based Medicine.- 7. Clinical Decision Support.- 8. Knowledge Resources: Finding Answers to Primary Care Questions.- 9. Computer-Based Patient Education Resources and Instruction.- 10. Workflow Automation with Electronic Medical Records.- 11. Privacy and Security of Patient Information.- 12. Electronic Billing for the Primary Care Physician.- 13. Reporting and Analysis.- 14. Telecommunications in Primary Care.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: LouAnn Schraffenberger, MBA, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P(Advocate Health Care)
Description: This is an introduction to the field of medical informatics, that is, the science of information, for the practicing primary care physician and other healthcare professionals.
Purpose: According to the editors, the goal of the book is to provide primary care physicians with a practical introductory understanding of medical informatics, focusing on areas of importance in primary care. The book also seeks to present clinical contexts in which some of the various applications of medical informatics can be applied.
Audience: The primary audience is intended to be practicing physicians in primary care disciplines, such as family practice, internal medicine, and pediatrics. In addition to these physicians, medical students, resident physicians, nurses and other professionals involved in primary care will find the book useful in understanding the rapidly growing field of medical informatics. The editors are professors and department heads at the University of Washington, Seattle. This campus and its faculty are recognized as leaders in the field of medical informatics.
Features: The book contains 14 chapters written by individual authors. The beginning chapters provide an overview of medical informatics based on interactions between the physician and the patient. Next, the interaction is shown as it is documented in a electronic medical record and how data from laboratory and imaging systems can be integrated. Other areas of focus relate to the content of information used in primary care are described in chapters on evidence-based medicine, decision support, knowledge resources, and patient education. To conclude, privacy and security of information is discussed.
Assessment: The chapters in the book are short and easy to read. A practitioner can read one chapter at a time or several allowing him to build his knowledge of the practical applications of medical informatics. Each chapter starts with a patient care scenario or two and shows how medical informatics can improve patient care. This makes it "real" and practical information. I found the book to be well written with a lot of details condensed into a readable format. After reading the book, primary care physicians will appreciate the value of medical informatics in their practice.

Doody's Review Service

3 Stars from Doody