Technology and Decision Making

Technology and Decision Making

Joseph Cortez,

HCS/482

October 2, 2012

Technology and Decision Making

Introduction

Technology has influenced many aspects of the world's industries. Communication, business, education, and health care are just a few areas that have made tremendous strides because of the limitless boundaries of technology. These changes allowed long distance communication, instant information from hand held devices, online education, and lifesaving consults and treatments.

This paper will present information regarding information systems, models, and theories. The role of expert systems, support systems, and decision aids will be highlighted in the paper. Technology and its association with health care will be analyzed to present its effect on the health care system.

Discussion on Systems and Informatics Theories

Informatics technology is based on theories and designed with specific systems. These theories relate to the model used for each system's purpose, function, and structure whereas the system can be thought of as the components that react to each other inside the structure; they may be living or nonliving, open or closed. (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002).

There are several theories developed throughout the years to give substance to, and to provide a model in dealing with informatics. Two of these theories are the system theory, and the Informatics theory. According to Englebardt and Nelson (2002), the systems theory is a composed set of related interacting parts enclosed in a boundary. This theory explains the process of learning by using the framework, which inputs the information in the system, analyzes, process, measures and evaluates the output in the system. Informatics theories focus on how information is transferred and communicated, it include two models: The Shannon and Weaver's information-communication model and The Blum's model (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002).

The Shannon and Weaver's information-communication model consists of three major levels: technical, semantic, and effectiveness. This is a theory based on the effectiveness and efficiency of communication and the transferring of information. This model starts with the sender of the information, which becomes encoded and travels through a channel. The information is decoded and ends with the receiver obtaining the information. This provides a framework for analyzing the effectiveness and efficiency of information transfer and communication (Rastegin, 2011).

The Blum's model provides a comprehensive analysis of information as it is produced, transferred, and used. It places information into groups such as data, information, and knowledge. The definition of data is an element of information, such as a name, age, weight, medical complaint, and patient's history. Information is a collection of all data collected and displayed as information such as patient's medical record and name. When data and information are identified and the relationships between data and information are formalized, knowledge is the result (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002). A knowledge base is more than the sum of data and information pieces; it includes the interrelationships between the data and information (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002). Nurses obtain data and therefore gain information about the patient, which gives them the knowledge to intervene if necessary. Blum's model is a framework to health care computer systems that not only manages data collection, but it also provides an efficient and clear communications between multidisciplinary teams (Ellis, 2010).

These theories and models are important to the practice of health care informatics because they aid in the implementation of educational programs for the teaching of health care users in employing new applications and systems. In addition, the application of theories aid in the structure of communication across the spectrum of providers' services and the development of computer-related procedures. Furthermore, they are helpful in understanding and building decision support systems in health care (Ellis, 2010).

Examples of systems that function within these models are the Jail Health Information System (JHIS) and the Electronic Medical Record (EMR). According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (n.d.), "The Jail Health Information System (JHIS) is a computer program that links the functionality of the various ancillary services to create a single medical record or electronic chart. JHIS allows multiple clinicians to view a single medical record from any JHIS computer terminal within the Custody Division" (Jail Health Information System). JHIS is also an expert system with specialized programming, allowing only a select group of individuals to enter data and view information. The Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is a digital version of the traditional paper-based medical record for an individual. The EMR represents a medical record within a single facility, such as a doctor's office or a clinic, and is one of many types of computer systems involved in assisting health care professional in making decisions, by providing them with comprehensive and accurate data, access, and integration of information (Robinson, 2010).

Through the use of computers equipped with systems such as JHIS, EMR, and other specialized decision support systems, and expert systems healthcare professionals treat patients more effectively, more cost-efficient, and more safely. Patient's health status improves timely and is maintained in a homeostatic state for a longer and healthier life span (Robinson, 2010).

DIK Model

The DIK Model consists of three components: data, information, and knowledge. This model can be used in any area of informatics and is considered an automated information system (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002). The purpose of this model is to form a relationship between raw data, which is processed into information, and becomes useable knowledge (Dalrymple, 2011). An informatics pyramid presented by Dalrymple (2011) displays data at the base, information in the middle, and knowledge at the peak (p. 42).

Data consists of elements that have not been analyzed and appear to be very general. These elements can include name, ages, and weight. An important factor of data collection is that it must be descriptive and measurable (Englebardt & Nelson, 2002). The data level on the informatics pyramid is at the base and is very