Health Informatics and Healthcare Delivery: From the Cost-effectiveness Perspective

Health Information Technology (HIT) enhances patient safety, which can also help to reduce health care costs. When it is used to replace the paper-based records, it will alter the workflow of front line workers and facilitate the management of care. The data captured can be shared in a seamless manner throughout the whole patient care journey. Since a significant upfront investment is required in the implementation and the use of the Electronic Health Record (EHR), it is still recognized as one of the major barriers. Despite these factors, governments and private health care provider organizations are all moving to implement a myriad of HITs. Therefore, meaningful use (MU) is an important criterion when assessing HIT utilization. This study focuses on the review and synthesis of evidence relating to the cost and effectiveness of health informatics adoption for health care delivery. Taking these findings into account may increase the likelihood of successful and cost-effective HIT implementation.