Health Phones: A Potential Game Changer in Health Information Management

Health education has to be one of the most effective ways to reduce morbidity and mortality in developing countries. We need to deliver vital messages and information to people at the lower quarter of the society to use changing behaviour and practices which can save and protect their lives. It is in this context, use of mobile phones in delivering vital health information is of significance. This article reviews few projects which successfully use mobile phones for health information delivery

Personal health information management in chronic illnesses

Understanding patients' personal health information management (PHIM) can help us design better information technologies for health care. This study examines type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients’ PHIM, including motivators, activities, information items, and affective processes. A mixed methods approach including interviews and photo-documentation was carried out with 60 diabetes patients in the US and in China. Data analysis for 36 participants revealed 19 major categories of PHIM processes and 81 subcategories. Many of these categories are not examined in detail by existing studies. Further analysis explores the relationships between these categories and proposes design principles for health information technologies aimed to help people living with chronic illnesses

Privacy provision in eHealth using external services

Privacy provision is a key issue for successful secure access to patients’ health information. Current approaches do not always provide patients with the ability to define suitable rules to access to their information in a secure way. This paper presents an approach to give patients control over their information by means of external services. In this way, health information management and access control are kept independent and more secure.Postprint (published version

Patient Sociotechnical Assemblages: The Distributed Cognition of Health Information Management

Personal health records (PHR) are shifting the capabilities and responsibilities of both patients and providers. Influenced by health IT, concepts like patient-centered care, meaningful use, and patient empowerment are commonplace in the healthcare system. As the popularity of personal health records increases, medical providers, healthcare organizations, and health information system stakeholders require a thorough understanding of how patients use these patient facing information portals in conjunction with other artifacts, objects, and practices to manage and maintain their health. Exploring health information management as a distributed sociotechnical assemblage is the conceptual approach of this research. A distributed cognition perspective lends insight to drawing boundaries and establishing connections of personal health information management practices in conjunction with PHR use. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides a unique setting to further understand PHR use and personal health information management practice through the observation of U.S. military veterans enrolled in the My HealtheVet PHR. This context and conceptual framework lead to the research questions for the proposed study: RQ1a: What are the personal health information management practices of veterans who use a personal health record? RQ1b: What health information management practices become distributed beyond the veteran patient? RQ2a: What health information management assemblages emerge from the distributed work of Veterans that use a personal health record? RQ2b: What are key functions of the health information management assemblages of veterans? Through the use of semi-structured in depth interviews, observations, and surveys, data were collected on 22 patients along with their primary care providers and caretakers. Results from a two cycle qualitative coding analysis and analytical cognitive mapping technique reveal bundles of practices for creating reminders, organizing information, and creating information for asking questions and working with primary care providers. Distributed practices emerged that detail the managing of medication, information that is socially distributed, and patient-provider communication through secure messaging. Three health information management assemblage components emerged from the analysis: health events and experiential information, information techniques, and technology and material practices. Each of these components is understood by the ways they become stabilized or destabilized. This research contributes to implications for the design of patient-focused personal health records and informs clinical practice of patient-centered care. The research also makes conceptual and empirical contributions to the practice of health information management and a patient-centered care model of healthcare delivery

LEADER DEVELOPMENT OF THE HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (HIM) PROFESSIONAL

This study contributes to the body of knowledge in leader development by examining how higher education programs in a female dominated profession assist learners in developing person-related characteristics that support leader development. A ten-part online survey was sent to directors of health information management (HIM) programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM). Results suggest an opportunity for improvement in the curriculum for development of person-related characteristics critical for leadership positions. In the interest of the progression of women these results should be taken into consideration

System design for health information management in rural India

The problem of child mortality in India is one of the biggest that today\u27s developing nation is dealing with. A complex matrix of different societal and behavioral forces is present at the root of this problem. Not only are absolute numbers of child deaths high in India, but the Child Mortality Rate (CMR) is also substantially higher among developing nations. Different sources of information at national as well as at state levels give feedback to the Indian Government on this nationwide issue. Looking closely at the west coast of India, the State of Maharashtra is having systematic problems in recording each child death. The way of operation of information sources and their accountability raises some serious issues about their efficiency, and the state governments are completely reliant on these sources to make decisions that save a child\u27s life. This thesis study works in the domain of the health management information system in the context of the rural region of the State of Maharashtra, India. This study documents practical experience gained in relation with user centered product design while working with Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) workers. Research was carried out to see different problems that health workers face during field work and their ways of operations to collect data on child and maternal health. Existing infrastructure for communication in the rural region of Maharashtra and the efficiency of health workers to adapt a new system are primary concerns about design decisions made in response to this issue. The intention behind this study is to create a strong network of health information and communication transfer among sufferers and helpers. A sound information system can create a foundation for correct decision making and formulation of public policies to save one complete life not lived

Personal Health Information Management by College Students: Patterns of Inaction

Introduction. College students\u27 diverse health information management activities are rarely studied within a personal health context. Our study identified an inactive group of college students and their information management activities to understand what factors determine inactivity. Methods. An online questionnaire was distributed to college students enrolled in a state-owned university in the USA between January and March 2017. A total of eighty-four questions on twelve information management activities grouped by seven types of personal health information were used to identify inactive performers within our student sample. Additionally, potential factors regarding demographics, academics, information resource types, and information workload were tested. Analysis. Our study sample includes 1,408 student responses. K-means clustering segmented the sample into two groups (inactive and active). Group differences between inactive and active personal health information managers were compared. Binary logistic regression was also performed to determine key factors predicting inactivity. Results. The inactive group (N=772, 54.80%) identified more male students, less clinic visits, and health information primarily sought through the Internet and mass media. Additionally, the awareness of personal health information management and training perceptions were found to be significant determinants of the inactivity. The inactive group proved to be lacking in most information management activities, except for discarding, and showed less interests in all types of health documents. Conclusion. Based on the inactive personal health information management group, how to collect, organize, retrieve, backup and migrate personal health documents, should be integrated into a formal college curriculum

Job Security in the Field of Health Information

The industry of Health Information Management (HIM) has remained a hidden career field for several years, affording employment for a plethora of non-traditional job opportunities. Established in 1928, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has brought some awareness to the field, and over the years has become more aggressive in popularize the field of health information management (AHIMA Workforce, 2005). Over the past eighty-five years the field of HIM has progressed tremendously, branching out into different sectors such as compliance, information technology and insurance; establishing more jobs under the field’s umbrella. Health information management has gained much of its notoriety due to the Health Information Technology for Economics and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which has contributed to the abundant growth in the job market, retaining present jobs and supplying new positions. After personally having to make a career change and choosing the field of HIM, what better way to support an accusation then to conduct a non-experimental qualitative research study to prove longevity and job security in the HIM market. Reassuring HIM professionals and prospects that there is more job stability in this field amongst any other