Informatics and eHealth Vocabulary

This set covers key terminology, acronyms, and organizational standards related to Nursing Informatics and eHealth as presented in the lecture.

Health Informatics

The term used to describe the knowledge and skills needed by health care professionals to function in settings that rely on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

Electronic Health Record (EHR)

An electronic version of a patient's medical history, such as an electronic chart in a hospital, containing demographics, visit history, interventions, and diagnostic results.

Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS)

An essential component of ICTs consisting of computer software or applications designed to support decision-making activities and improve decision outcomes.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

The tools and applications (hardware and software) that support the management of clinical data, information, and knowledge.

EMR

Electronic Medical Records.

EPR

Electronic Patient Records.

PHR

Personal Health Records.

Point of Care Technology

Technologies used directly at the site of patient care, such as glucometers, armband scanners for medication administration, and drug guides.

Telehomecare

A form of ICT utilizing remote monitoring devices to support patient care in their own home.

Telenursing

Nursing practice supported by mobile technologies, teleconferencing, and videoconferencing to deliver health care at a distance.

Computerized Prescriber Order Entry Systems

An ICT application used to electronically enter medical instructions for the treatment of patients.

eCPS

An online medication information resource used as a clinical decision support learning resource.

Clinical Care Pathways

Planning and clinical intervention tools provided by CDSS to guide patient management.

CNO Standards for Informatics

Specific practice guidelines and standards from the College of Nurses of Ontario including Telepractice, Documentation, Privacy, and Confidentiality.

Standardized Nursing Data

Consistent documentation that creates high-quality health data, supports evidence-informed decision making, and represents nursing contributions to health outcomes.

Inter-operability

A key trend in informatics focused on the ability of different information systems and software to communicate and exchange data.

Canada Health Infoway (Infoway)

A pan-Canadian organization established in 2001 to improve the patient experience, improve population health, and unlock value for the health care system.

eHealth Ontario

A provincial organization providing a secure web-based portal that offers health care providers a single point of access to digital health information.

National e-Nursing Strategy

A Canadian Nursing Association (CNA) leadership strategy to identify nursing needs, reduce duplication, and advocate for increased eHealth education for nurses.

CIHI (Canadian Institute for Health Information)

An organization whose vision is 'Better Data. Better Decisions. Healthier Canadians.' which focuses on tracking and reporting health data.