Journal:Benefits of information technology in healthcare: Artificial intelligence, internet of things, and personal health records

Full article title	Benefits of information technology in healthcare: Artificial intelligence, internet of things, and personal health records
Journal	Healthcare Informatics Research
Author(s)	Chang, Hyejung; Choi, Jae-Young; Shim, Jaesun; Kim, Mihui; Choi, Mona
Author affiliation(s)	Kyung Hee University, Hallym University, Seoul Health Foundation, Jeonju University, Yonsei University
Primary contact	Email: monachoi at yuhs dot ac
Year published	2023
Volume and issue	29(4)
Page(s)	323-333
DOI	10.4258/hir.2023.29.4.323
ISSN	2093-369X
Distribution license	Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Website	https://e-hir.org/journal/view.php?doi=10.4258/hir.2023.29.4.323
Download	https://e-hir.org/upload/pdf/hir-2023-29-4-323.pdf (PDF)

Abstract

Objectives: Systematic evaluations of the benefits of health information technology (HIT) play an essential role in enhancing healthcare quality by improving outcomes. However, there is limited empirical evidence regarding the benefits of IT adoption in healthcare settings. This study aimed to review the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and personal health records (PHR), based on scientific evidence.

Methods: The literature published in peer-reviewed journals between 2016 and 2022 was searched for systematic reviews and meta-analysis studies using the PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases. Manual searches were also performed using the reference lists of systematic reviews and eligible studies from major health informatics journals. The benefits of each HIT were assessed from multiple perspectives across four outcome domains.

Results: Twenty-four systematic review or meta-analysis studies on AI, IoT, and PHR were identified. The benefits of each HIT were assessed and summarized from a multifaceted perspective, focusing on four outcome domains: clinical, psycho-behavioral, managerial, and socioeconomic. The benefits varied depending on the nature of each type of HIT and the diseases to which they were applied.

Conclusions: Overall, our review indicates that AI and PHR can positively impact clinical outcomes, while IoT holds potential for improving managerial efficiency. Despite ongoing research into the benefits of health IT in line with advances in healthcare, the existing evidence is limited in both volume and scope. The findings of our study can help identify areas for further investigation.

Keywords: health informatics, artificial intelligence, internet of things, personal health records, review

Introduction

The healthcare sector is increasingly recognized as an industry well-suited for the future, particularly in the era of hyperconnectivity where cutting-edge information technology (IT) can be applied. However, there is limited empirical evidence regarding the benefits of IT in healthcare settings. Therefore, it is crucial to systematically evaluate the advantages of health information technology (HIT) to ensure that these efforts will help enhance the quality of healthcare by improving outcomes.

The present study aims to summarize several cases where IT has been applied in healthcare and to review the published systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the benefits of HIT. The scope of this review focuses on three types of HIT: artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and personal health records (PHR). These were identified as priority areas of high significance and immediacy within the realm of technology development in a previous Delphi study. [1]

Areas of focus in this study on HIT

Artificial intelligence

AI is expected not only to contribute to providing personalized healthcare based on patient-centered big data systems, but also to enable the more efficient use of medical resources. With the aging of the global population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, combined with the paradigm shift toward patient-centered care, it is becoming increasingly important to predict diseases based on symptoms and risk factors and effectively manage chronic diseases. In addition, given the shift toward personalized healthcare [2], AI technologies may help predict and prevent diseases using patient-centered big data systems. This would facilitate accurate disease diagnoses and the recommendation of the most effective treatment. [3]

Since AI is capable of automating repetitive, daily medical tasks, it has a high potential for applications in a wide range of healthcare settings, including patient and resource management. As such, this technology will be rapidly adopted in the healthcare sector and play an important role in improving managerial efficiency. [4]

Internet of things

The use of IoT has been widely promoted in various industries, such as home appliances and automobiles. Medical devices, in particular, have been recognized as an area where IoT can be employed particularly effectively and have a greater impact on our daily lives. Its applications in the medical field are as follows [5]:

• Home healthcare: Monitoring using sensors (e.g., detecting falls, seizures, or the risk of pressure ulcers);
• m-Health solutions: Monitoring using various types of sensors linked to smartphones;
• e-Health: Medical services connected to the internet to perform various remote medical services (e.g., remote monitoring, remote consulting, robot-assisted surgery, etc.); and
• Hospital management: Logistics supply chain management, remote patient monitoring, and drug identification monitoring.

The healthcare sector has been progressively incorporating IoT technology. This technology aids patients in managing their health more effectively, enables providers to improve service quality, decreases costs, and boosts the efficiency of hospital resource management. For patients, the implementation of IoT solutions can increase satisfaction and promote adherence to self-care principles, which are intended to facilitate improved self-management. For service providers, systems based on IoT technology can allow the monitoring of patients who require constant care and attention, thereby increasing the overall standard of healthcare. [6,7] Furthermore, this technology can introduce novel strategies for resource management in healthcare organizations, leading to cost reductions. [8]

Personal health records

The Markle Foundation’s Connecting for Health [9] defines a PHR as an electronic application through which individuals can access, manage, and share their health information, and that of others for whom they are authorized, in a private, secure, and confidential environment. With the healthcare paradigm shift from diagnosis and treatment to prevention and management, the role of PHR is expected to expand to personalized health maintenance services and chronic disease management. Three general types of PHR exist: standalone PHR, electronic medical record (EMR)-tethered PHR, and interconnected PHR. OF these, the EMR-tethered PHR, which is connected with a hospital’s EMR, is most widely used.

For this study, we first summarized HIT use, which is expected to create greater synergy with regard to prediction, diagnosis, health maintenance, and organizational management. We reviewed the benefits reported in previous studies from diverse perspectives across four outcome domains: clinical, psycho-behavioral, managerial, and socioeconomic. For the clinical domain, specific evaluation tools included patient outcomes such as detection of drug-adverse effects, mortality, length of hospital stay, readmission rates, and safety. In the psycho-behavioral domain, user acceptance and satisfaction were used as evaluation tools. The managerial domain was assessed through managerial efficiency, while the socioeconomic domain was evaluated based on cost reduction.

Notes

This presentation is faithful to the original, with only a few minor changes to presentation. In some cases important information was missing from the references, and that information was added.