According to the American Public Health Association (n.d.), public health is defined as promoting and protecting the health of people and the communities where we live. Public health informatics is the systematic application of information, computer science, and technology to public health practice, research, and learning (CDC, 2014). The two concepts are important because they build bridges across siloed public health work areas by “translating” between these communities, creating opportunities for interoperable information pathways”.

Assess the roles of informatics in public health and EHR.

Include the following aspects in the discussion:

• Discuss the similarities and differences in public health informatics and clinical informatics.
• Provide an example of a reporting system and registry in public health and describe them in detail.
• Why is it important to address population health?
• Why is EHR important in public health informatics?

REPLY TO MY CLASSMATE’S DISCUSSION TO THE ABOVE QUESTION AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE. 

                                                            CLASSMATE’S POST

The role of informatics is imperative for the functionality and effectiveness of EHR systems and is also important to provide access to accurate data in a timely manner for healthcare providers. Functionality and access are key to support better health outcomes which, in turn, is important to execute important public health work on a larger scale.

Clinical informatics studies information technology to find new ways to apply it to healthcare, including specific ways data must be structured to be used in reports and evaluations. On the other hand, public health informatics applies to information, computer science and technology to public health practice, research, and learning. (How Do Different Types of Informatics Relate to Each Other?, 2021) The key difference here is really that clinical informatics focuses on the individual patient whereas public health informatics focuses on society and the population as a whole. Both are significant when creating better health outcomes, but specifically, to address population health, this is so important when working towards being able to provide better access to care and creating better patient engagement in their own health journeys.

                                                                         References

Types of Informatics Relate to Each Other? Retrieved from USF Health Morsani College of Medicine: https://www.usfhealthonline.com/resources/health-informatics/types-of-informatics-and-how-their-related/#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20clinical%20informatics%20focuses,the%20population%20as%20a%20whole.

Public Health Informatics Institute. (2021). Defining Public Health Informatics. Retrieved from Public Health Informatics Institute: https://phii.org/how-we-do-it/defining-public-health-informatics/