Computers and technology have long played a role in the medical system. In more recent years, however, computers have started to become an increasingly relied upon method for helping to keep patient records straight and for keeping people healthy. In fact, the use of computer sciences combined with the information sciences in the medical field has become so prevalent that a term has been developed to describe this merging of fields: health informatics.
Health informatics, also referred to as medical informatics, focuses primarily on the use of computers and information science to help acquire, store, and retrieve information in both biomedicine and health in general. This may involve communication amongst and between medical facilities and professionals, retrieving current information regarding treatment methods for certain disorders, and even helping medical professionals diagnose a disease. It may also involve the sharing of patient information amongst specialists in order to give the patient the best treatment possible.
With the use of computers in the medical system becoming increasingly common, the United States congress passed the Health Insurance...