What is healthcare IT?

Healthcare IT refers to the role that information technology plays in healthcare administration. Specifically, it is the use of various telecommunication, computing, networking and technological systems to facilitate healthcare providers’ ability to send and receive data to other providers and individual patients.

What is the role of IT in healthcare?

• The primary role of IT in healthcare is to ensure healthcare data can be exchanged securely and efficiently between providers and patients.

Data is crucial to the healthcare ecosystem. It allows healthcare providers to send and receive patient health information from a patient’s other healthcare providers to provide as accurate a depiction of patient health as possible. Research shared between providers is also essential to continuously improving treatments over time and allows providers to improve their healthcare capabilities over time. Most importantly, patients must be able to access their own healthcare data so they can remain as up to date on their personal health status as possible.

What are examples of healthcare information technology?

• Some examples of the role that IT plays in healthcare are in data security, record sharing with patients and device connectivity.

Information technology plays a multifaceted role in healthcare technology, enabling devices to function throughout healthcare environments, facilitating the exchange of data in a secured manner and playing a role in improving the overall health of the population. 

Some examples of the role of IT in healthcare include ensuring that networks are connected and able to receive information at all times throughout healthcare environments, ensuring devices connected to the network are secure so data cannot be accessed by unauthorized parties, troubleshooting general issues occurring in devices and networks, installing software that streamlines the healthcare data exchange process and facilitates better patient experiences, and discovering new technological solutions that help deliver better comfort and care.