Applying relevant literature, discuss the challenges facing health Essay

Applying relevant literature, discuss the challenges facing health organisations when implementing information systems. Based on - Essay Example The first are the various international commitments like those made with World Health Organization (WHO) and government regulatory and monitoring bodies that need to be complied to or the system may have to interact with once it is operational. Interoperability with the major Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and other hospital system should also be taken into consideration due to the importance of collaboration in the medical care field. There are also international standards that will be presented to provide insights on what other healthcare organizations are using. This paper shall also explore the impact at the organizational level of any implementation of information systems. This paper shall likewise present the minimum requirements of a Healthcare Information System that would be responsive and compliant to the various challenges presented in this paper. This paper shall also provide operational imperatives that need to be taken into consideration in operating and mainta ining an information system. II. World Health Organization – In the third millennium people interact globally, a person can be in Europe when he wakes up and can be in North America in the afternoon for dinner. The likelihood of a person contracting a pathogen in the morning and spreading this on the plane and then to the airport, and then to his destination is a nightmare that is not only possible but is happening to some degree every day. The best way to combat epidemics is early detection to enable governments to arrest its spread. In the 21st century, health is a shared responsibility, involving equitable access to essential care and collective defence against transnational threats (World Health Organization, 2010). Global partners and countries have developed a common monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework for health systems strengthening (HSS). The operationalization of this framework requires a common platform for M&E of National Health Strategies (NHS) – also referred to as the country health systems surveillance (CHeSS) platform. The country-led platform aims to improve availability, quality and use of data needed to monitor health progress and performance and inform country health sector reviews and planning processes (World Health Organization, 2010). This will enable WHO to monitor diseases and its spread to countries or regions that will be the basis for a concerted global response to wide spread health threats. A direct link to a healthcare organization’s information system will enable WHO to pinpoint index patients that would hasten medical forensic investigation. The WHO is also responsible for the implementation and compliance to the IHR or International Health Regulation. The IHR mandates that each nation set-up a monitoring and surveillance system in all its health care system. Therefore the compatibility of the Information System that will be implemented by the healthcare organization to the WHO’s health s urveillance is an important aspect of the organization’s social responsibility. â€Å"The stated purpose and scope of the IHR (International Health Regulation) are "to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease in ways that are commensurate with and restricted to public health risks, and