Tools and Technologies Used in Health Information Systems

The present article attempts at presenting you how various tools and technologies are used to create and manage health information systems. The list of such instruments and procedures include: * Web technology standards; * GIS technologies; * artificial intelligent techniques; * imaging technologies; 1. Web technology standards Working with such an amount of information, a health information system has to resort to the best software and web technological platforms. The data exchange process only provides a static health information from health information systems, disseminating it straightforwardly. A convenient platform through which the information can be pre-designed, validated and captured as an easily accessible multimedia document is offered by the Internet and the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). This platform uses as the main method for data collection the one that implies an automated and direct data input at the source. This way, data's timeliness, integrity and validity is improved. Using pre-designed documents to input information allows the completed documents to be warehoused either centrally or via on/line distributed network technology. The information which is directly input can be thus converted into easily readable and appealing user-oriented information. 2. GIS techonologies GIS (geographical information system) represents a solid tool used to collect, record, store, manipulate and display spatial data sets. An example of such spatial data is given by digitized maps that are three dimensional and which can also comprise a combination of text, icons, symbols and graphics. An instance of using GIS technologies in health information system is when a certain epidemic has to be digitally mapped. This way, specific populations groups can be effectively targeted for healthcare interventions. 3. Artificial intelligent techniques When speaking of the matters at a clinical level, artificial intelligence techniques are developed to provide clinical decision support to physicians. Along with these techniques, there are also used applications based on neural network (NN) and intricate logic techniques. In other words, the main purpose for which physicians and other medical experts resort to artificial intelligent techniques in healthcare domain is to obtain assistance in diagnosis and treatment. 4. Imaging technologies Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) have been contrived in order to ensure storage of medical information. By means of such systems there was intended to address some of the issues related to accessibility and e/networking requirements for the exchange of medical imaging data. Therefore, PACS are consequently accomplishing the task of storing massive digital images and of supporting simultaneous access to digital imaging data from various connected systems, networks and terminals.