Health Informatics is a term describing the acquiring, storing, retrieving and using of healthcare information to foster better collaboration among a patient’s various healthcare providers. Health Informatics plays a critical role in the push toward healthcare reform.
Health informatics is an evolving specialization that links information technology, communications and healthcare to improve the quality and safety of patient care.
Though the concept of health IT includes the use of technology in the healthcare field, health informatics is not synonymous with health IT. Instead, informatics is “the science, the how and why, behind health IT,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health informatics applies informatics concepts, theories, and practices to real-life situations to achieve better health outcomes. This includes collecting, storing, analyzing, and presenting data in a digital format.
