Question

WHAT IS INFORMATICS WORKFORCE

Answer 1

The successful deployment of health information technology (HIT) needs a competent workforce as an essential component. Implementation of HIT on a national scale needs the efficient workforce participation. As per the new initiative, the “meaningful use” of the electronic health record (EHR) also includes the investment in workforce development. The need for a well-trained workforce is essential in ensuring meaningful use.

Studies (Han et al, 2005) have reported the increased mortality rate after implementation of CPOE in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and further investigations documented the importance of “special people” in successful HIT implementations.

The well-trained HIT professional or informatics workforce should have knowledge of information technology, healthcare, business and management, and other disciplines. Understanding of healthcare environment was essential to IT practice in healthcare settings. The informatics workforce must have clinical experience, understanding of healthcare, strong communication skills, and ability to work across boundaries within organizations.

The generalization of health information management (HIM) professionals as people to maintain the (usually paper) medical record must be changed. The health informatics workforce is a combination of Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners, Medical Records and Health Information Technicians, and Computer Specialists.

While clinical informatics, like all branches of informatics, historically was led by individuals in the academic category, there is now most growth in the professional category, as healthcare and other organizations increasingly hire individuals into operational roles [31].

The lack of professional recognition is a challenge for professional roles in informatics. A research found that it has some but not all of the attributes that characterize professions, such as a well-defined set of competencies, certification of fitness to practice, shared professional identify, life-long commitment to the discipline, and a code of conduct.

Workforce Roles include the information and communication technology staff, health records staff, information management staff, knowledge management staff, senior managers, and clinical informatics staff.

The successful HIT implementation needs a competent workforce and they have opportunities in the three major types of roles- in IT, HIM, and clinical informatics. So media listed informatics among ten “ahead of the curve” careers, in the US.