BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS: ORIGIN AND APPLICATIONS - MEDICINE - 2025

The biomedical informatics is the discipline that focuses on the management of information obtained in the area of medicine as a result of various investigations, all with the aim of improving health.

It emerged as a discipline in the service of health with the use of computers, soon being incorporated into medicine through the administrative sector, being applied in medical care centers.

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The incorporation of computers into medicine brought myriad benefits such as reduced waiting times and handling of patient data on a large scale.

Subsequently, the use of computers on a massive scale became a tool that is currently indispensable for the medical area. There are diverse applications of informatics in the sector, but among them the ones that stand out are those related to the management of clinical information, education and research.

Biomedical informatics, among its many contributions, has allowed the management of large volumes of medical information that help health personnel to make diagnoses with less probability of error.

Communication has improved, which allows new scientific advances or findings in the field of health to be known immediately, as well as the formulation of statistics in this area.

With the incorporation of computers, there has been a great scientific growth that represents useful advances for humanity, such as the results obtained through genomic research and discoveries in the DNA sequence.

In addition, information is available on the recommended treatments and their incidence in the treated diseases or epidemics, which are easier to control through big data.

On the other hand, through biomedical informatics the medical records of each patient will be included in a database in order to access all the information required during the consultation, which may be useful at the time of diagnosis.

Origin

The origin of biomedical informatics was due to the need in the field of medicine for the management and classification of information from patients, cases and treatments that, before computers, was done manually. This allowed medicine to overcome communication barriers and transmit new knowledge, teachings and methods.

The application of computers was gradually adopted in the field of medicine; first in administrative areas and later as a research tool. The first initiative to incorporate the use of computers in medical research was launched in 1961 by Kaiser Permanente, a nonprofit healthcare organization.

From now on, the computer has become an indispensable tool for research and information dissemination in the medical field. This has resulted in great advances in medicine, as well as a reduction in diagnostic errors and greater access to education, among other things.

The incorporation of computers in the medical field has solved the problem of information management, which in this area is unattainable.

The great scientific and technological advances that have been experienced in the 20th and 21st centuries make it impossible for the human brain to efficiently handle the great flow of information and that is where the computer intervenes.

Background of Biomedical Informatics

The large amount of information that was handled in various fields of medicine required the implementation of a new methodology, which with the emergence and popularization of computers began to be glimpsed.

One of the main problems was focused on the management of patient information that was reflected on paper in their clinical history, the statistics of cases and the results of the applied treatments.

Managing all this information effectively was a great feat for hospitals and required great efforts on the part of staff coupled with a greater probability of errors.

There was a communication problem, which prevented the transmission and massification of new knowledge. The nurse and statesman Florence Nightingale, in order to attack this obstacle, proposed in 1873 a new methodology for the management of information based on notes.

With the ease of access to computers, problems related to the management of patients' clinical information, as well as those of an administrative nature, began to be solved progressively.

At first, the application of computers was intended for the administrative departments of health centers and they were used in the organization of patient information.

What does he do and applications

The inclusion of technology in the medical field has undoubtedly brought great advances to health, which benefits humanity and constitutes a hope of discovering treatments for various diseases.

At present, informatics in medicine has different applications that optimize patient care by reducing waiting times and allowing immediate access to their medical records.

Likewise, it reduces the possibility of diagnostic errors as the health specialist can access a database with truthful information on the basis of which they can orient themselves.

With regard to biomedical informatics, the largest field of application is that of research, which has allowed great advances in genomic research.

Source: pixabay.com

The incorporation of computers in medicine has brought about great advances and discoveries in the field of health.

Access to computers has allowed scientists to deepen their investigation of genes and cellular and molecular biology, which has allowed the discovery of treatments and the diagnosis of diseases that were previously unknown.

Biomedical informatics has also promoted progress in the educational sector for the training of physicians through software and the Internet, as well as communication and collaboration between health professionals in order to improve the quality of life.

Biomedical informatics in Mexico

In Mexico, despite the efforts of some professionals such as Dr. Ramón Boom or Jorge Negrete for the incorporation of information technology in the medical sector, even the incursion of technologies is not enough.

Given the importance in terms of progress in medicine and the optimization of health services, measures are required to promote the development of biomedical informatics.

Knowledge of the scope of biomedical informatics in health has not been able to overcome the obstacles that arise in terms of lack of planning, lack of resources and little preparation of personnel.

Adherence to technology in the health field has been hampered by political, economic and social factors, which prevents further progress in scientific terms.

The deficiencies start from the medical schools since, according to the result of a survey, less than 30% of the medical schools provide training related to biomedical informatics.

Biomedical informatics in Chile

The inclusion of the application of biomedical informatics in Chile has been carried out successfully, results that can be verified through its implementation in various health centers.

The relevance in terms of progress and optimization of the results in the health area of ​​biomedical informatics has motivated the training of specialized personnel in the area.

These professionals stand out for mastering solid knowledge of medicine and computer science, which allows them to perform their functions efficiently.

Chile has experienced the massification of biomedical informatics as a discipline and a large amount of economic, technological and human resources continue to be allocated for the improvement of the health sector.

So far, the results obtained have translated into improvements with regard to access to medical information, which is highly relevant to reduce diagnostic errors.

Also, the times in which medical care is provided have been reduced; This translates into an improvement for the health service, which has been made possible by the incorporation of information technology in medicine.

Despite the great advances that have been made in medicine in Chile, there is still a long way to go in order to implement technology in all health services.

Biomedical informatics in Spain

Biomedical informatics in Spain has undergone great advances that translate into a decrease in waiting times and lead to a better provision of the health service.

On the other hand, it has reached high levels in the optimization and handling of information, however, given the high speed of advances in technology, much work remains ahead.

Regarding the area of ​​education, there is a disadvantage that resides in the absence of training in biomedical informatics at the university level.

This is a barrier that hinders in a certain way the advances in biomedical informatics in Spain, since it supposes a deficiency of human resources with the necessary competencies for the generation of knowledge in the area.

References

1. Bernstam, E., Smith, J., Johnson, T. R, (2009). What is biomedical informatics? Taken from nbci.nlm.hih.gov
2. Hospitals the challenge of computing. Taken from Forbes.com
3. Horman, N., Growth of biomedical informatics in Chile. Taken from duoc.cl
4. Negrete, MJ, History of Medical Informatics. Taken from facmed.unam.mx
5. Plasencia, A., (2.015). The future of health systems is interoperable and that in Spain is complex. Taken from elmundo.es
6. Sanchez, MM (2.015). Biomedical Informatics and the education of physicians: an unsolved dilemma. Taken from sciencedirect.com
7. What Is Biomedical Informatics? School of Medicine. Taken from ohsu.edu