Technology In Australian Healthcare System -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Questions: What Are The Major Challenges In Implementing Information Technology In Healthcare In Australia? How Does Health Information Technology Influence The Standards Of Healthcare Delivery In Australia? How The Obstacles In Implementing Health Information Technology Can Be Eliminated In Australia? What Is The Role Of The Government To Promote Health Information System Technology In Healthcare Delivery? Answers: Introduction Due to rise in global population, traditional health care services cannot fulfil all the requirements of the massive target demographics. As per the reports published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the population in Australian has increased by six times from 4 million in 1900 to 24 million in 2016 creating huge challenges in health services (Abs.gov.au, 2017). Evidently, the government of Australia is continuously assessing and monitoring the challenges in health care delivery as the growth of population has been a major worry. To deliver the best possible healthcare services for the Australian citizens, the introduction of healthcare information technology at different levels can be identified as one of the most commanding steps. Precisely, high life expectancy rate can be presented as an evidence of improved healthcare services in Australia (Lee Joshi, 2016). However, there are a number of challenges associated with implementing and monitoring the health information techn ology in Australia. Clearly, identification of the challenges in managing health information technology should be discussed for further improvement in healthcare services. Problem Statement In the current context of healthcare services in Australia, healthcare information technology enables to maintain a computerised system that effectively shares and transfers suitable health information records to the medical experts influencing the quality of healthcare (Lee Joshi, 2016). However, electronic accessibility of information and sharing the medical records via internet channel can be risky at times if security breaches are seen (Henderson, 2015). Most importantly, technology can become messy at times if it cannot be maintained and monitored properly. Additionally, the lack of IT knowledge among the nursing professionals and medical experts has emerged to be another major challenge for health information system. Hence, the challenges of implementing information technology in the healthcare services must be evaluated to avoid any type of medical errors in the upcoming future of technology advancement. Aim of the research The reported study has been aimed to identify the challenges and barriers that may affect the performance as well as the implementation of health information technology in Australia. Moreover, the study will reflect how health information system has increased the performance standards in healthcare delivery as well. Justification of the research In the modern context of healthcare delivery, health information system technology has become one of the most integral parts of managing and sharing health-related records and other medical aspects of patients (Aggarwal, Topaloglu Kumar, 2013). The health information technology has acted as a medium between the doctors and the patients to receive the best healthcare facilities and attention. By investigating the challenges in implementing the health information system psychology, the study can help out the researchers to access the quality and benefits of the system. Additionally, it will enable the healthcare organisation to understand the barriers and take necessary steps to improve their services. Precisely, identifying the challenges will lead to evaluate the solutions so that effective health information system can evidently minimise the number of medical errors. Literature Review Health information technology can be identified as an electronic method that can record the medical information of patients so that the doctors can easily access the relevant information to provide the best healthcare facilities. However, developing the health information system technology can be a bigger task as there are a number of safety regulations and cost-related challenges associated with the system (Costerison Graham, 2008). According to the research conducted by Ologunde (2013), in order to develop health information system such as mobile-based application, a significant amount of funding will be required to be invested. In addition, the maintenance cost of the system must be allocated to avoid any technical issues in delivering mobile technology-based healthcare services. Evidently, allocation of finance for such development can be recognised as one of the leading issues in the implementation of health information technology (Sakr Elgammal, 2016). In another study, Ducke tt (2007) identifies latest challenges for health information managers to deliver the most prominent healthcare service assistance. According to the researcher, there are a number of socio-technical factors that are affecting the safety and security of the clinical settings. For instance, the implementation of health information technology may disrupt the regular healthcare delivery of patients (Schatz, 2015). As a result of the same, care process may be affected leading to poor quality of health services. In another review of the literature, Spring (2011) elaborates that technological barriers are affecting the transfer and sharing of health information in recent times. According to the author, development of modern information technology has promoted latest software that can keep the records of thousands of patients at the same time in a secure way. However, to access the health information system, up-to-date hardware and internet speed must be required (Raghupathi Raghupathi, 2014). Hence, to maintain the communication system, both the consumers, as well as the healthcare service firms, need to upgrade the systems. In rural areas in Australia, such massive transformation and structural changes cannot be possible for a limited period of time (Lopes, Street, Carter Merlin, 2015). Hence, implementation of health information technology has been hampered in the remote but needy locations of the country. The study by Raw (2003) reviews how the standard of health information technology h as affected the implementation of the technology. Precisely, doctors and physicians in Australian can be identified as one of the leading agents of the system. However, electronic health services are yet not fully accepted by the management practitioners. Therefore, the reluctance of the medical practitioners to adopt the health information technology can be termed as a major obstacle to implement the system at the bigger picture (Lee Joshi, 2016). In another study by Hren (2013), the author states that cost of implementation and maintenance of the health information technology has been the biggest challenge for government as well as the healthcare service firms. To implement the health information technology at the larger stage will cost massive investment. In the current scenario of the budget deficit, the Australian government is not in a position to spend massive funds on developing such widespread technology system in the country (Aggarwal, Topaloglu Kumar, 2013). Hence, the implementation of the health information system has to be compromised and delayed. On the other hand, issue of security concerns in the health information system can be another challenge to promote health information system that has to be managed using the internet platform (Bramley, 2016). Due to the fear of security breach, many of the patients, as well as medical service providers, are reluctant to adopt the system. Other than that, Henderson (2015) explains how lack of collaboration of information sharing has led to the failure of health information system. In some cases, the author has found that miscommunication and lack of information sharing about the patients due to technical issues have converted into deadly outcome for the patients (Rallapalli, 2016). Therefore, such issues can act as obstacles to the implementation of health information technology. Methodology The methodology of the research presents the blueprint of the study that has been used to collect data and analyse them in order to answer the research questions. The study has been based on review technique in which the previous literatures relevant to the field of study has been evaluated and critically analysed to observe the major challenges that are faced by the healthcare organisations in implementing information technology in the healthcare services (Ketchen Bergh, 2016). Furthermore, the study is based on secondary data due to limitations of time and regulatory constraints. The secondary data has been collected from secondary sources such as journal articles, government reports, and books available in printed media or over the internet (Kothari Garg, 2016). Google Scholar has been used as a primary medium to search the secondary data sources for collecting the information required for the study. Moreover, the research has been conducted using qualitative research method, in which the research questions have been answered using secondary data analytics (Sittig Ash, 2011). Additionally, the findings of the research have been presented using descriptive research technique that helps to answer the research question in a thematic way (Kothari Garg, 2016). In other words, the research questions have been answered one by one using the secondary data and information collected from different sources. Results and Findings The entire research study has been based on secondary data and the analysis of the current state of scenario of the healthcare industry in Australia. Information technology has emerged to be a major factor for improving the standards of healthcare in a developed country like Australia. According to Rajakulendran, Maclntosh, Salah Khayat (2014), information technology has transformed the healthcare system in Canada making it more decentralised and connected. In the same manner, health IT has been implemented by the healthcare organisations in several developed countries of the world to develop an integrated healthcare model that can be used to improve the standard of care by providing better services (Rajakulendran, Maclntosh, Salah Khayat, 2014). The implementation of IT in healthcare improves the transfer and monitoring of data leading to a better communication system that enables the medical professionals to improve their services (Kellermann Jones, 2013). Data and Data Analytic s is the foremost contribution of information technology in the field of healthcare that makes it easier for the medical professionals to take care of the patients with decentralised and highly connected healthcare services (Rajakulendran, Maclntosh, Salah Khayat, 2014). Hence, it can be seen that information technology plays a significant role in improving the standards of healthcare services. A figure has been presented herein below for further consideration: According to the findings, it can be discovered that health information exchange using the IT has been regulated by a number of policy so that safety and security of the information can be retained. During the time of sharing the information, both the parties have to follow the compliance strictly (Schatz, 2015). However, information technology has been continuously played a major role in delivering quality healthcare services and facilities over the past decade or so (Bertrand, 2009). According to the reports, engagement of patients as well as the medical practitioners must be promoted up the order to increase the potential benefits of the health information system in Australia (Jang-Jaccard, Nepal, Alem Li, 2014). Sometimes, traditional citizens and doctors of the country have found it difficult to change the healthcare practices and regular habits. Therefore, wider adoption of the system in healthcare has been completely depended upon the willingness of the patients and the medic al practitioners (Lopes, Street, Carter Merlin, 2015). Moreover, the inception of Smartphone technology has made life easy for the social public to get used to the health information system. According to Dr. Jolly (2013), the federal government of Australia has allocated a budget of $466.7 million over two years to introduce the Person-Controlled Electronic Health Record System (PCEHR) in the year 2011. However, the initiative taken by the government was faced by several criticisms due to the issues of security and privacy if the records. Moreover, it has been found that the budget was too less for such a large initiative that resulted in the failure of the programme (Lopes, Street, Carter Merlin, 2015). Additionally, the initiative taken by the Australian government resulted in angst among the medical practitioners (Lawrence, Hancock Kisely, 2013). For instance, the clinical workloads of the medical practitioners increased with the implementation of Information Technology without any tangible benefits. Hence, it can be seen that the implementation of the information technology will fail if proper support from the medical practitioners are not gained. Dr. Jolly (2013) also said that the increase in expenses of the healthcare organisations in implementing Health Information Technology sometimes negatively impacts the budget of the organisation in rendering their services. For instance, several cases have been found in which the organisations downsizes the structure of the firm in order to utilise the money in the implementation of health information technology. Additionally, the government of Australia enforces the medical practitioners to participate in the implementation of IT in healthcare by introducing new policies. For instance, every medical practitioner need to participate in IT programmes in order to remain eligible for the Practice Incentives Programme (Lawrence, Hancock Kisely, 2013). Hence, a negative mindset has been created among the medical practitioners that have resulted as a barrier for implementing health information technology. Moreover, it can be seen that the rural areas lack proper internet services due to disbursed settlement and poor infrastructure (Sakr Elgammal, 2016). Hence, it becomes difficult for the citizens to take advantages of the e-health services and the information technology implemented by the healthcare organisations. Discussion On the basis of the literature review and findings of the research, it can be seen that the information technology plays a major role in improving the standards of healthcare services in the current scenario of increased health consciousness (Lawrence, Hancock Kisely, 2013). However, the challenges and barriers faced by the healthcare organisations, medical practitioners, government and patients regarding the use of information technology has become a major concern in the recent healthcare system of Australia (Bertrand, 2009). The government of Australia has taken several initiatives to promote the use of healthcare information system technology in the healthcare delivery (Sakr Elgammal, 2016). For instance, the introduction of the PCEHR programme and the PIP has been some of the major steps taken by the federal government of Australia to promote the use of information technology in healthcare services. Conversely, the lack of budget, data security issue, poor infrastructure in rur al areas and restriction from the medical practitioners has emerged to be the primary barriers for implement health information technology (Costerison Graham, 2008). Furthermore, the lack of technology in terms of user friendly applications is another challenge for the healthcare organisations to implement health information technology. Additionally, there are several people in Australia from the rural regions who do not know to use modern technologies in order to get healthcare information (Sakr Elgammal, 2016). Though the Australian Government has taken several initiatives to implement information technology in the healthcare system, the policy will never get success unless it received proper cooperation and support of the medical practitioners (Jang-Jaccard, Nepal, Alem Li, 2014). Moreover, the lack of IT knowledge and psychological mindset of increase in workload among the medical practitioners are several other challenges that must be mitigated to successful implement the IT in healthcare system of Australia. According to Dr. Jolly (2013), government need to collaborate with the medical institutions and provide monetary support in order to make the initiative successful. Additionally, training and develop programs must be conducted to mitigate the challenges and implement better technology in healthcare system to improve its standards in the future. Conclusion On the basis of the above analysis, it can be seen that health information system plays a major role in improving the standards of healthcare services. For instance, information technology makes the healthcare services decentralised and connected that enables a person to access healthcare information from home without visiting the hospital. The implementation of IT in healthcare services have provide new scopes of healthcare services in the form of e-health services that improves the current quality of the services. However, the challenges faced by the healthcare organisations in implementing IT in their services have become a major issue for the Australian economy. Though the government has already spent $466.7 million from 2011 and allocated further fund to implement IT in healthcare system, there is a need of more fund in the future to proceed with the process. Finally, the lack of IT knowledge and restrictions among the medical professionals is another major challenge for success fully implementing health information technology in Australia. Recommendations On the basis of the above analysis and findings of the research, the recommendations to mitigate the challenges of implementing information technology in the healthcare system of Australia have been presented herein below: Increase budget for information technology: The healthcare operations must allocate fund and increase their budget for implementing information technology in the healthcare system. A proper allocation of fund will help the healthcare organisations to make better utilisation of IT services in order to improve the standard of healthcare in Australia. Improve Government Policy: The Government of Australia need to introduce new policies and allocate funds to promote the use of information technology in healthcare services. The Australian government can provide subsidiaries to the healthcare organisation in order to implement IT in the healthcare services. IT training for medical practitioners: There is a need of IT training for the medical practitioners such as doctors, nurses, medical coordinators and others. The government can collaborate with medical institutions and healthcare organisations to provide such training to the professionals. Provide incentives to medical practitioners: The medical practitioners must be remunerated and provided with adequate incentives in order to take extra workload. It will motivate the medical professionals and influence them to actively participate in the change process. Limitation and Future scope The current research is based on secondary data that is obtained from previous literatures and findings of other authors. Furthermore, the study lacks in providing primary data due to the limited scope of primary research, regulatory obligations and time constraints. The findings and results of the research is totally based on the data and information collected from secondary sources that lacks personal observations and current thoughts of the professionals. Therefore, there is a scope to conduct primary research in this topic in order to observe the views and feedback of the medical practitioners. The primary research will enable the researcher to gain more knowledge on the chosen topic and present the current thoughts and observations of the medical practitioners regarding the challenges they face while using information technology in healthcare services. References Aggarwal, S., Topaloglu, H., Kumar, S. (2013). Importance of Subgroup Analyses for Health Technology Assessments.Value In Health,16(7), A462. Bertrand, W. (2009). Information as a Primary Health Care intervention: The impact of new technology on improving health for all.Information Technology For Development,4(4), 741-749. Bramley, M. (2016). Information Technology (IT) in Health.Health Information Management,26(1), 44-45. Costerison, E., Graham, A. (2008). Developing and promoting an intranet site for a drug information service.American Journal Of Health-System Pharmacy,65(7), 639-643. Duckett, S. (2007). New Challenges for Health Information Managers.Health Information Management,27(1), 6-6. Henderson, J. (2015). Standing Your Ground: The Importance of Health Information Managers Sharing What They Do.Health Information Management Journal,44(3), 4-6. Hren, R. (2013). The Importance of Sensitivity Analyses in Health Technology Assessments.Value In Health,16(7), A617-A618. Jang-Jaccard, J., Nepal, S., Alem, L., Li, J. (2014). Barriers for Delivering Telehealth in Rural Australia: A Review Based on Australian Trials and Studies.Telemedicine And E-Health,20(5), 496-504. Jolly, R. (2013).E health - Budget Review 201213 Index.Aph.gov.au. Retrieved October 2017, from https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/BudgetReview201213/Ehealth Kellermann, A., Jones, S. (2013). What It Will Take To Achieve The As-Yet-Unfulfilled Promises Of Health Information Technology.Health Affairs,32(1), 63-68. Ketchen, D., Bergh, D. (2016).Research methodology in strategy and management. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Kothari, C., Garg, G. (2016).Research methodology. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Limeted. Lawrence, D., Hancock, K., Kisely, S. (2013). The gap in life expectancy from preventable physical illness in psychiatric patients in Western Australia: retrospective analysis of population based registers.BMJ,346(may21 1), f2539-f2539. Lee, K., Joshi, K. (2016). Importance of Globalization in the Information Technology Convergence Era.Journal Of Global Information Technology Management,19(1), 1-5. Lopes, E., Street, J., Carter, D., Merlin, T. (2015). Involving patients in health technology funding decisions: stakeholder perspectives on processes used in Australia.Health Expectations,19(2), 331-344. Ologunde, R. (2013). The Challenges of Health System financial.World Medical Health Policy,5(4), 403-411. Population - Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2017).Abs.gov.au. Retrieved October 2017, from https://www.abs.gov.au/Population Raghupathi, W., Raghupathi, V. (2014). Big data analytics in healthcare: promise and potential.Health Information Science And Systems,2(1). Rajakulendran, N., Maclntosh, E., Salah, H., Khayat, Z. (2014).Transforming Health: Decentralized and connected.MaRS. Retrieved October 2017, from https://www.marsdd.com/news-and-insights/transforming-health-decentralized-connected-care/ Rallapalli, S. (2016). Improving Healthcare-Big Data Analytics for Electronic Health Records on Cloud.Journal Of Advances In Information Technology,7(1), 65-68. Raw, J. (2003). Standards for Health Information and Related Health Information Technology.Health Information Management,31(3), 1-5. Sakr, S., Elgammal, A. (2016). Towards a Comprehensive Data Analytics Framework for Smart Healthcare Services.Big Data Research,4, 44-58. Schatz, B. (2015). National Surveys of Population Health: Big Data Analytics for Mobile Health Monitors.Big Data,3(4), 219-229. Sittig, D., Ash, J. (2011). On the Importance of Using a Multidimensional Sociotechnical Model to Study Health Information Technology.The Annals Of Family Medicine,9(5), 390-391. Spring, H. (2011). Meeting the challenges of clinical information provision.Health Information Libraries Journal.