McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics

How Health IT Can Help Reduce Data Distractions

---

Wednesday, May 27th, 2015

• For years, scientists and journalists have wondered if technology—for all its benefits—is actually contributing to forgetfulness and distractedness.
  
  >When technological distractions are removed, students’ test outcomes are improved. [1] Because office workers experience interruptions—technological and otherwise—every few minutes, they are forced to change their work patterns to compensate at the cost of greater stress and higher frustration. [2] Many studies have argued that the ability to multitask, which technology often purports to offer, is a myth. [3]

How is IT Shaping Patient Care?

---

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

• This year, HIMSS conducted its 26th annual HIMSS Leadership Survey to examine the perceptions and experiences of healthcare professionals from across the country. The survey was intended to explore the strategic use of IT that their healthcare provider organizations utilize.
  
  It is not surprising that the majority of the 330 respondents believe that IT can serve as a tool that supports patient care delivery and quality, but the findings go beyond that. In this week’s blog post, we want you to observe the ways in which the survey participants see IT influencing and improving patient care.
  
  

Recognizing Informatics Nurses for National Nurses Week 2015

---

Wednesday, May 6th, 2015

• Today marks the start of National Nurses Week, which run through May 12th. In honor of nurses and the passion they have for caring for their patients, SBMI wants to share this infographic with you. HIMSS conducted a survey to evaluate the impact informatics nurses have on the healthcare information technology industry and how they bring value to clinical systems. The survey also assessed “their impact on quality of care and their role with respect to emerging technologies.”
  
  

The Future of Wearables: Making e-health accessible

---

Wednesday, April 29th, 2015

• Steve Jobs was famous for saying that people don’t know what they want until you show it to them. This philosophy has been attributed to the success of Apple products over the years, but it is not just applicable to the latest iPhone. Whether you are selling cars or kitchenware, it is important that individuals see your product as not just interesting, but necessary. The same applies to the field of health care when we consider how health informatics is influencing wearable devices.
  
  Consider the first generation of modern wearables. They elicited a lot of hype, as well as a lot of skepticism (Google Glass, anyone?). Early adopters were eager to experiment with the new features, but it wasn’t until much later that wearables became more ubiquitous. Early on, the majority of consumers found wearable technology intriguing, but not necessarily something to add to their shopping list. For the health care industry, this is poses a challenge.

The Importance of Collaboration

---

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015
written by Lorraine Frazier, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAHA

• The backbone of the healthcare industry is collaboration – be it between physicians, nurses, administrators or other hospital staff members. This type of collaborative environment benefits all parties as recent research has shown that when nurses reported having a more favorable perception of nurse-physician collaboration, rates of healthcare-associated infections decreased [1]. Lower infection rates mean better patient outcomes for hospital staff and better quality of care for patients.

The Importance of Patient Engagement

---

Wednesday, April 15th, 2015
written by Chelsea Overstreet

• While at HIMSS15 in Chicago this week, a SBMI alumna, Shannon Vogel, presented on the topic of patient engagement and what tools physicians can use to help improve the patient engagement practices they utilize. HealthcareITNews.com recently noted that “consumers are expecting consumer-quality experiences in healthcare” and advances in physician and patient engagement are important in working towards enhancing those experiences.
  
  A 2013 report by the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) defined patient engagement as “dialogue between patients and key healthcare stakeholders.” At its core, patient engagement is about the action of the patient regarding their own care.

SBMI is Heading to #HIMSS15

---

Wednesday, April 8th, 2015
written by Chelsea Overstreet

• On Sunday, more than 38,000 healthcare IT professionals, clinicians, executives, educators, students and vendors from around the world will converge in Chicago for the annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition. Many of those in attendance will include members of the SBMI community. SBMI Professor James Langabeer, Ph.D., MBA is presenting at the HIMSS Academic Forum on April 12th. SBMI students Evan Bernard and Rafeek Yusuf are Program Assistants for #HIMSS15.
  
  During the Conference, remember to visit the SBMI exhibit booth as our staff will be showcasing the various programs our school offers at Booth #5462 in University Row. We will have a photo booth as well so you can capture an exciting memento with colleagues, new and old. Stop by and say hello when you are in between sessions.

Nursing Informatics

---

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015
written by Chelsea Overstreet

• The field of health informatics is vast and multidisciplinary. Informatics is necessary to improve the quality and safety of patient care across the health care continuum. Nurse informaticists play a particularly crucial role in the practice of informatics. In fact, the Director of Informatics, Patient Care Services at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Ruth Slater, R.N., B.S.N, recently stated that “the nursing process is also the driving force of informatics practice.”

Our Data-Driven World

---

Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

• Last week, thousands of innovative thinkers descended upon Vancouver, Canada for TED2015. For five days no topic was too big, too small, or too visionary. Monica Lewinsky spoke of the state of cyber bullying in today’s digital landscape, Joseph DeSimone investigated the potential 3D printing could have on society, and even the Dalai Lama spoke up, offering insights about happiness and coexistence.
  One topic that resurfaced, again and again, was data. Data is being used to find Earth-like planets, to study the impact of laughter on the psyche, to collect the stories of the world in a single app, and even to expand the human experience into previously unexplored territories

Tweets by @UTHealth_SBMI