In every industry, it is undeniable that there are often specific technical terms or acronyms that frequently appear in news related to that particular industry. Sometimes, these terms or acronyms are difficult to understand, raising questions about their meanings, context, or how they are used, and how they may differ or resemble those in other industries.
The HealthTech 101 series by MEDcury will explore technical terms and acronyms in the medical and healthcare technology (Health Tech) industry, focusing on how they are used for communication within organizations and with the public. The aim is to provide value to those who are new to the field and want to learn the basics to better understand the industry.
For EP.1, we will start with acronyms related to the 'HIS system', which include many acronyms such as EMR, EHR, RBAC, and others. What do these terms mean? What roles do they play in the HIS system? Let's find out!
10 Acronyms and Meaning : HIS System Category
HIS (pronounced as H-I-S) stands for Hospital Information System.
HIS (Hospital Information System) refers to a Data Management System used in various healthcare facilities, including hospitals and clinics (OPD Clinics). It covers the management of data across all departments of a healthcare facility, from patient registration, treatment, diagnosis, medication dispensing, pharmacy management, to hospital resource management, etc.
Healthcare providers that are well-equipped in various aspects—such as having a good Hospital Information System (HIS) , trained personnel, and sufficient internal resources that support the implementation of a Hospital Information System—are essential factors in evaluating the standard of the information system within the facility to ensure it meets international standards.
For example, certification standards like HIMSS Analytics EMRAM (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model) and others are used as benchmarks.
HIE (pronounced as H-I-E) stands for Hospital Information Exchange.
It is a system for exchanging health information between healthcare providers that can connect the HIS systems of each hospital, using international standards like HL7 (Health Level Seven) to exchange the same data.
The primary benefit of using the HIE system is enhancing patient satisfaction, such as reducing the burden on patients to request copies of their medical records, and enabling the timely tracking of medical histories for diagnostic and treatment purposes.
One of the main challenges of the HIE system is ensuring data security, as patient health information is sensitive and subject to laws like PDPA (Personal Data Protection Act). Therefore, the HIE system must comply with security requirements and standards, such as Data Encryption, Role-Based Access Control, and backup systems, to ensure that patient data is accessible and usable at all times.
Each healthcare provider in Thailand may have different standards for storing patient data. However, there are existing examples to show that it is possible. For example,
Principle Healthcare Group, which operates more than 13 hospitals, uses a unified data storage system to increase patients’ access to healthcare services more quickly without the need to request copies of their medical records.
RBAC (pronounced as R-B-A-C) stands for Role-Based Access Control.
It is a system for controlling or managing the access rights of personnel in hospitals or clinics, such as doctors, nurses, registration staff, pharmacists, etc., to regulate their access to patient information, treatment data, or various resources within the system based on the roles assigned to them.
The use of RBAC to secure systems and data is applied in many industries, such as in POS systems for retail and in hospital or clinic systems, to help reduce the risk of unauthorized access, modification, or copying of sensitive information.
This not only ensures security for service users but also offers benefits to the users by reducing complexity and errors in the workflow, as they can access only the information necessary for their specific role.
CDSS (pronounced as C-D-S-S) stands for Clinical Decision Support System.
It is a computer system designed to assist and provide recommendations to doctors, enabling them to make faster and more accurate decisions in diagnosing and treating patients. It is merely a tool to support decision-making, not a system that fully replaces or disrupts the medical profession.
The CDSS supports doctors by utilizing patient treatment data recorded in the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system for analysis and assistance in diagnosis, such as:
4.1. Doctor’s Prescription: The CDSS can check for drug interactions and alert the system when irregularities are detected, such as drug allergies, duplicate prescriptions, or inappropriate dosage for the patient.
4.2. Diagnosis and Treatment: The CDSS can help doctors diagnose diseases based on the patient's symptoms and test results immediately while caring for the patient, and recommend appropriate treatment methods according to medical guidelines.
When comparing the CDSS to a Medical Second Opinion, the two cannot fully replace each other but can work together to ensure that patients feel confident in the physician's treatment approach and the hospital’s standards.
4.3. Recommendation and Follow-up on Treatment: The CDSS can compare the patient’s medical history and treatment outcomes to provide personalized recommendations, such as post-surgical rehabilitation, controlling blood sugar levels for diabetic patients, or selecting chemotherapy drugs for cancer patients.
CPOE (pronounced as C-P-O-E) stands for Computerized Physician Order Entry.
It is a system for placing medical orders via a computer or electronic device connected to the internet and integrated with the hospital's Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. The key feature of the CPOE system is its ability to replace handwritten medical orders or prescriptions, aiming to minimize the use of handwritten orders.
When discussing the societal issue of 'doctor's handwriting', many can visualize how handwritten orders might lead to communication errors among healthcare staff.
Physicians access the CPOE system to place orders for treatment, such as prescribing medications or requesting additional tests. The system displays a list of available medications and tests that can be ordered. Additionally, this system can seamlessly integrate with the CDSS system to verify correctness and alert for drug interactions.
The purpose of placing medical orders in this system is to ensure that the data is recorded digitally and linked to other departments within the hospital. This allows for tracking and efficient operations, ensuring that orders are sent to the relevant departments, thereby increasing speed and convenience, such as to the pharmacy or testing rooms.
MA (pronounced as M-A) stands for Maintenance Service Agreement.
It is a service agreement between the service provider and a healthcare provider. For example, a service provider could be a company that installs software systems and must have a contract outlining the scope of services and terms for maintaining the software system installed at each healthcare provider. This includes training, technical support, software updates, troubleshooting, and more.
Today, MA or Maintenance Service Agreements have become an important competitive factor for software vendors, especially in the healthcare industry. As a result, MA is not only a contract that defines the scope of work but also a key differentiator in the market competition. This can include specialized training personnel, 24/7 online repair request systems, quick software fixes and updates, and more, all aimed at ensuring confidence and building long-term relationships with clients.
EMR (pronounced as E-M-R) stands for Electronic Medical Record.
It is a system that records patient data through digital systems and electronic devices, such as computers, tablets, etc., connected to the internet, replacing traditional paper-based record-keeping and document storage.
The EMR system is often integrated with the HIS system to work together. The EMR connects data across various departments, such as the patient registration department, consultation or laboratory rooms, pharmacy, payment department, etc., allowing for continuous tracking and updating of patient information. This helps save time when retrieving patient data and ensures better care and patient satisfaction.
The adoption of the EMR system also helps reduce errors in data recording or human errors, along with systems for error checking and strict security protocols. Examples include Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to manage access rights and CDSS to prevent issues such as duplicate prescriptions or drug allergies.
EHR (pronounced as E-H-R) stands for Electronic Health Record.
It is an electronic health record system that encompasses all aspects of a patient's health history and allows for the transfer of health information to other healthcare providers, improving the continuity and comprehensiveness of care. This differs from the EMR system, which only covers health data within a single healthcare provider.
Like the EMR system, the EHR system records data electronically, such as medical history, test results, medication allergies, vaccination history, and other health information. The key advantage of the EHR is its ability to transfer patient health data to other healthcare providers, helping to reduce redundancy in testing and enhancing diagnostic accuracy, all while ensuring the security of data storage and transfer.
PACS (pronounced as "packs") stands for Picture Archiving and Communication System.
It is a system designed to store and communicate medical images in digital format. The system can integrate with the EMR system to connect patient data within a single platform. This includes images from X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans, helping reduce storage costs and space requirements while improving the convenience of accessing patient data through computers or electronic devices anytime and anywhere.
Additionally, the PACS system reduces the risk of data loss and offers higher security compared to traditional film-based storage, thus enhancing the efficiency of the radiology department and optimizing costs.
API (pronounced as A-P-I) stands for Application Programming Interface.
It is a programming interface for medical applications that serves as a 'gateway' connecting different systems or programs related to patient care and healthcare services, allowing them to communicate and exchange information to work together seamlessly.
For example, an API can be used to connect the HIS system with the EMR system, enabling continuous linking of patient data across various departments, or to connect the EMR system with vital sign monitors, allowing data to be quickly recorded into the digital system, replacing manual entry or redundant data entry in separate systems.
How was the 10 acronyms in the HIS System category?
We hope this helps many people understand how the HIS system works and the various features hidden within hospital information systems, at least to some extent. In the next episode, MEDcury in the HealthTech 101 series will bring you a new category. Don't forget to stay tuned!
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