Health information technology: will it make higher quality and more efficient healthcare delivery possible?

Holding a new promise for improving efficiency and quality and reducing cost, Health Information Technology (HIT) has become the latest national priority. Selecting three evidence-based national quality indicator systems/models as examples, this paper examines relationships between quality of care and HIT as well as their economic implications. The analysis focuses on the three systems' overall goals; targeted healthcare facilities; data sources; quality indicator measures; data format/standardisation; stages of development; levels of adaptation; and complexity of IT infrastructure including inter-operability, patient involvement, resource requirements, and potential financial gains. The discussion concludes that although enormous challenges are ahead, through joint efforts by all partners and players relating to the healthcare system, the Electronic Health Record (EHR) information system has a potential to fundamentally transform the healthcare delivery to a high-quality and efficient system, which will ultimately benefit patients.