Health Information Technology (Health IT)
Resource Brief
This resource brief provides current, high-quality resources on health information technology (health IT). Health IT includes both computer hardware and computer software that are used for the storage, retrieval, and sharing of health care information, data, and knowledge for communication and decision making. Health IT is used to manage medical information in a way that protects patient privacy and ensures the secure exchange of electronic health records between health consumers, health professionals, insurers, and other health team members.
Health IT can include electronic health records (EHRs), personal health records, e-mail communication, clinical alerts, e-prescribing systems, computerized decision-support systems, and other technologies that store, protect, retrieve, and transfer clinical, administrative, and financial information electronically within health care systems.
Health IT adoption is intended to prevent medical errors, reduce health care costs, increase administrative efficiencies, decrease paperwork, expand access to affordable care, and improve health care quality. Current efforts are aimed at improving individual patient care while providing public health benefits such as the early detection of infectious disease outbreaks.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): National Resource Center for Health Information Technology
State-by-state database of AHRQ-funded projects with a wide range of health IT applications; a calendar of events; planning, implementation, and evaluation tools; and a knowledge library containing reports on lessons learned, best practices, and other selected resources. [See also Health Information Technology in Children’s Health Care: AHRQ-Supported Activities]
Alliance for Health Reform: Health Information Technology
Briefings, documents, and publications, including A Reporter’s Toolkit: Health Information Technology. A list of experts on health IT is also provided.
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP): Center for Health Information Technology
News and events, tutorials on adopting EHRs, and links to health IT projects and programs (including collaborations and federal initiatives). The site also discusses health information technology and one element of the patient-centered medical home.
Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology
Updated criteria for certification, lists of CCHIT-certified products, news and discussions about EHRs and personal health records, and links to certification commission work groups in child health, personal health records, security, interoperability, behavioral health, and other health IT topics. CCHIT is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of EHRs.
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS): Health Information Technology
Overview of health IT, including background information, key initiatives, and a glossary of terms. Includes links to federal programs, public-private initiatives, state-level initiatives, a listserv for staying up to date, and tools for planning, implementing, and evaluating health IT.
e-Health Initiative
Results from surveys about the electronic exchange of health information at state and local levels and links to electronic resources and tools to help use IT to organize and govern improved health care systems. Publications include the eHealth Initiative Toolkit and eHealth Initiative Blueprint: Building Consensus for Common Action. The e-Health Initiative is a nonprofit corporation that focuses on addressing quality, safety, and efficiency challenges of the health care system through the use of interoperable information technology.
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): Health Information Technology
Guidelines, lessons learned, lists of health IT grantees, and other materials and resources related to EHRs, community-health-center-controlled networks, integrated information and communication technology, health IT for underserved populations, health IT for children, and telehealth (involving technologies to support long-distance clinical health care).
KaiserEDU.org: Health Information Technology
Health IT background brief, key data, policy research, webcasts, presentations, and organizations. Includes links to PubMed articles, related KaiserEDU resources, news headlines, and noteworthy publications available from external sources.
National Conference of State Legislatures: Health Information Technology
Database of articles and publications on electronic and personal health records, e-prescribing, health information exchange, privacy, telemedicine, and federal and other issues.
PubMed
Over 18 million citations and abstracts from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles indexed by the National Library of Medicine back to the 1950s, with links to full text of articles when available.
Search tips: Enter the term “medical records systems, computerized” in the search box. Click Advanced Search, and choose the box for Humans and the box for English (or other desired language). Then click Search. Or use related terms such as “electronic prescribing” or ‘computer communication network”
To narrow your search, add terms such as “child health services” or “maternal health services.” Also limit the search by date (using Advanced Search) to retrieve only more recent items.
Authors: Beth DeFrancis Sun, Olivia K. Pickett, M.S.,
M.L.S., MCH Library
June 2009
