Evidence-based Health Informatics: How Do We Know What We Know?

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Informatics
• Health Information Technology (HIT)

Background:

• Health IT adoption promises improved healthcare quality and efficiency.
• Emerging reports highlight negative impacts and patient harm associated with Health IT.
• Health informatics must ensure Health IT solutions offer maximum benefit with minimal adverse effects.

Observation:

• Evidence-based health informatics (EBHIn) is essential for learning from both successes and failures in Health IT.
• The discipline must actively build a robust evidence base to guide development and implementation.
• Current progress in EBHIn is noted, but the field remains in its nascent stages.

Findings:

• Eight key challenges impede EBHIn: study quality, publication bias, reporting standards, accessibility, systematic reviews, expert training, evidence translation, and post-market surveillance.
• Identified needs for action include establishing study registers, enhancing publication quality and indexing, developing taxonomies, and improving evaluation competencies.
• Specific recommendations involve moving towards meta-summaries, creating evidence-based implementation frameworks, and instituting post-market surveillance for Health IT.

Implications:

• Establishing EBHIn is an obligation for medical informatics to mature as a scientific discipline.
• Addressing the identified challenges and needs is critical for realizing the full potential of Health IT.
• A concerted effort is required to translate research findings into safe and effective healthcare practices.