# Health Informatics and Patient Safety in Times of Crisis

**Authors:** Narasimha Rao Vajjhala (University of New York Tirana, Tirana, Albania) — ORCID 0000-0002-8260-2392; Philip Eappen (University of Toronto, Canada) — ORCID 0000-0002-8120-8449
**Type:** Edited book
**Source:** IGI Global, Advances in Healthcare Information Systems and Administration series, 286 pp.
**Published:** 2022-12-09
**DOI:** https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-5499-2
**Canonical page:** https://www.narasimharao.net/research/health-informatics-patient-safety-times-of-crisis/
**Indexing:** Edited book · Scopus
**Methodology:** Edited volume of 13 chapters; chapter methods include machine-learning prediction of coronavirus spread, conceptual design principles for clinical decision support, big data analytics review, registry implementation case study, and national and regional case studies of telemedicine and emergency response.

## Research summary

- **The Problem:** The COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps in how health informatics and information technology protect patient safety during crises.
- **The Approach:** Edited volume of 13 chapters; chapter methods include machine-learning prediction of coronavirus spread, conceptual design principles for clinical decision support, big data analytics review, registry implementation case study, and national and regional case studies of telemedicine and emergency response.
- **The Core Contribution:** The volume documents how health informatics performed during the pandemic — machine learning for predicting spread, telemedicine, clinical decision support design, big data analytics, registries and national emergency responses — and shows how improved informatics can protect patient safety in future crises.
- **The Citation:** Vajjhala, N. R., & Eappen, P. (Eds.). (2022). Health Informatics and Patient Safety in Times of Crisis. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-5499-2

## Summary in detail

**Question.** How did health informatics and information technology perform during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how could improved informatics protect patient safety in future crises?

**Scope.** Thirteen chapters cover the benefits of technology in healthcare management; how machine learning could help predict coronavirus; operations in health informatics; IT management, misinformation and patient safety; knowledge management during crises; telemedicine in pandemic times (including Indonesia) and digital public health; design principles for data-driven clinical decision support; big data analytics in health informatics; data-driven public health emergency response in Puerto Rico; a standardised electronic spinal cord injury registry; and the COVID-19 response of the United Arab Emirates.

**Why it matters.** The pandemic showed how much health data, technology and access to informatics matter. Reassessing what worked, and what could have worked better, prepares health systems for future pandemics and other crises.

## What the book covers

1. Reviews the benefits of technology in healthcare management and the operations of health informatics, and asks how machine learning could help predict coronavirus spread.
2. Examines information technology management, misinformation and their impact on patient safety and outcomes, and how to optimise knowledge management during crises.
3. Devotes three chapters to telemedicine in pandemic times — including digital public health and the Indonesian experience.
4. Presents conceptual design principles for data-driven clinical decision support systems and applications of big data analytics in health informatics.
5. Provides case studies of data-driven public health emergency response in Puerto Rico, a standardised electronic spinal cord injury registry in the public sector, and the COVID-19 response of the UAE.

## Book at a glance

| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Edited book, 286 pages |
| Editors | Narasimha Rao Vajjhala and Philip Eappen |
| Series | Advances in Healthcare Information Systems and Administration (IGI Global) |
| Chapters | 13 |
| Editor’s own chapter | Ch. 7, Telemedicine and Digital Public Health in Pandemic Times (Eappen and Olujinmi) |
| Audience | Medical professionals, hospital administrators, public health officials, community and international leaders, medical students and educators, researchers |

## Publisher’s description

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of health data, technology, and access to health informatics. The applications of several information technologies in the context of healthcare are proving instrumental in pandemic control. These technologies were already actively used in the healthcare sector before the pandemic. However, the pandemic has resulted in researchers reassessing how these technologies could have better assisted with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and how they may mitigate the threat of future pandemics. Health Informatics and Patient Safety in Times of Crisis provides a fresh perspective on how healthcare informatics has managed the current pandemic and how improved healthcare informatics could help in a future crisis. Covering topics such as digital public health, misinformation, and knowledge management, this premier reference source is an indispensable resource for medical professionals, hospital administrators, public health officials, community leaders, international leaders, libraries, medical students, medical professors, researchers, and academicians.

## Contents

- The Benefits of Technology in Healthcare Management — Sheryl Joane Dobson Wainwright
- How Could Machine Learning Help Healthcare Informatics Predict Coronavirus? — Kenneth David Strang
- Overview of Operations in Health Informatics — Andrew Smith
- Information Technology and Management, Misinformation, and the Impact on Patient Safety and Outcomes — David J. Ranney and Amir Adolphe
- Optimizing Knowledge Management During Crises — Sandra Long
- Telemedicine in Pandemic Times — Karen Parker Davidson
- Telemedicine and Digital Public Health in Pandemic Times — Philip Eappen and Tosin Dotun Olujinmi
- Telemedicine in Pandemic Times in Indonesia — Rita Komalasari
- Conceptual Design Principles for Data-Driven Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) — Dimitrios Zikos
- Applications of Big Data Analytics in Healthcare Informatics — Bhuvanendra Putchala, Lasya Sreevidya Kanala, Devi Prasanna Donepudi, and Hari Kishan Kondaveeti
- The Road to Data-Driven Public Health Emergency Response in the Overseas Territory of Puerto Rico — Joshua E. Villafañe Delgado, Fabiola Cruz López, Wilmará de Jesús Álvarez, Mónica Robles Fontán, Danilo T. Pérez Rivera, and Lorenzo González Feliciano
- Maintaining a Standardized Electronic Registry of Spinal Cord Injury in the Public Sector — Vinu V. Gopal
- COVID-19 Success Story of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — Rajasekhara Mouly Potluri and Sasi Kumar Gundapaneni

## When this research may be relevant

This book may be relevant to researchers studying health informatics during the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine and digital public health, patient safety and misinformation, clinical decision support design, big data and machine learning in epidemic response, and health information system case studies from Indonesia, Puerto Rico and the UAE.

## Limitations

- An edited collection written during and shortly after the pandemic; chapter methods vary and several chapters are single-country case studies.

## How to cite

Vajjhala, N. R., & Eappen, P. (Eds.). (2022). Health Informatics and Patient Safety in Times of Crisis. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-5499-2

```bibtex
@book{vajjhala2022health,
  title = {Health Informatics and Patient Safety in Times of Crisis},
  editor = {Vajjhala, Narasimha Rao and Eappen, Philip},
  series = {Advances in Healthcare Information Systems and Administration},
  isbn = {9781668455005},
  year = {2022},
  publisher = {IGI Global},
  doi = {10.4018/978-1-6684-5499-2},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-5499-2}
}
```