University Report: Value of Health Information Technology Systems

This report assesses the value of health information technology (IT) systems in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, focusing on their impact on disease management and patient outcomes. The report highlights the prevalence of major health issues, including cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and communicable diseases, emphasizing the need for effective healthcare solutions. It discusses the benefits of health IT, such as patient portals for improved communication, remote patient monitoring for comprehensive data collection, and care alerts for timely interventions. These technologies enhance patient health literacy, enable proactive disease management, and improve health behavior conductance. The report concludes that health IT can significantly contribute to better healthcare outcomes in Saudi Arabia by improving patient engagement and providing clinicians with better tools for patient care.

Running head: VALUE OF HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS
VALUE OF HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS
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1VALUE OF HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS
Introduction
Numerous infectious and non-communicable diseases currently contribute to some of the
key health issues in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of
Economy and Planning, 2014). For management of such health issues, the usage of health
information technology is of immense value, as will be discussed in the following sections.
Discussion
In accordance to the Ministry of Economy and Planning’s report some of the major health
issues in Saudi Arabia, include, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes mellitus, cancer,
neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and allergies and asthma. Additionally, high
prevalence rates of communicable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, food-borne illnesses
and hepatitis have also been reported to comprise of an alarmingly high disease burden in Saudi
Arabia (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Economy and Planning, 2014).
According to Benner et al., (2015), health information technology implies the usage of
information technologies such as computerized systems and software for the management of
patient and public healthcare. Health information technologies have been researched to be
beneficial in the management and prevention of non-communicable as well as communicable
diseases. The high prevalence of disease burden can be attributed to patient adherence to
detrimental lifestyle coupled with lack of awareness concerning disease pathologies and
management. As researched by Kruse et al., (2015), one of the key ways in which health
information technology can be valuable for the health management of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, is the availability of Patient Portals. Patient portals are collective online platforms posing

2VALUE OF HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS
to be a communicative bridge between the client and the clinician, where patients can place their
doubts concerning their diseases which can rapidly be relayed to the clinician resulting in instant
availability of evidence based information to the patient and hence, better disease awareness and
patient health literacy.
According to Ondiege, Clarke and Mapp (2017), an additional value of health
information technology lies in the availability of remote patient monitoring, where diagnostic
results of the patient can be directly recorded in electronic health records, allowing clinicians to
observe every disease detail of the patient, such as blood sugar or lipid profile elevations. Such
comprehensive patient information availability will allow enhanced disease monitoring and
management prior to possible disease aggravation, resulting reduced susceptibilities to disease
mortality.
According to Singh and Sittig (2016), provision of care alerts is an additional valuable
feature of health information systems, which after accurate documentation of patient personal
details, engages in the dissemination of clinical alerts to the patient concerning medications,
follow up visits, hospital admissions or required assessments. Such timely prompts of required
health interventions results in enhanced health behavior conductance among patients further
leading to decreased disease mortality.
Conclusion
Hence, to conclude, health information technology can improve patient health literacy,
disease awareness and health behavior conductance. Such facilities can contribute to improved
health issue management in Saudi Arabia.

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References
Brenner, S. K., Kaushal, R., Grinspan, Z., Joyce, C., Kim, I., Allard, R. J., ... & Abramson, E. L.
(2015). Effects of health information technology on patient outcomes: a systematic
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Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Economy and Planning (2014). Strategic Priorities for
Advanced Medical and Health Research. [online] Kau.edu.sa. Available at:
https://www.kau.edu.sa/Files/305/Files/66563_MedicalAndHealth.pdf [Accessed 18 Feb.
2019].
Kruse, C. S., Argueta, D. A., Lopez, L., & Nair, A. (2015). Patient and provider attitudes toward
the use of patient portals for the management of chronic disease: a systematic
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Ondiege, B., Clarke, M., & Mapp, G. (2017). Exploring a new security framework for remote
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Singh, H., & Sittig, D. F. (2016). Measuring and improving patient safety through health
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