Information technology Essay Example for Free

Information technology Essay Information technology pertains to electronic tools that facilitate several processes that are commonly employed in an institution, including the collection, storage, retrieval and transfer of information from one site to another. It should be understood that information technology increases the speed in data handling not only within one institution, but also within a network that may be composed of multiple sites around the world. Information technology thus enhances the transmission of data, as well as increases the volume of processes that could be performed at the same time. The state of information technology has rapidly evolved in the last few decades, resulting in its application in almost every field of profession. In the field of medicine, information technology has improved the quality of healthcare by facilitating different processes in the system. Information technology has revolutionized the storage and maintenance of medical records (Hillestad et al. , 2005). The classical method of record keeping involves thousands of files in every healthcare institution and a group of highly efficient record keepers who meticulously store and retrieve patient medical records. In the event that the patient needs to consult with another department or physician of the hospital, his records are physically retrieved from the files and carried over to the next clinic. Unfortunately, consulting another physician in another hospital would be more challenging as a referral document needs to be written and delivered to the next institution before the patient is allowed to appear for a medical consult. Information technology has revolutionized healthcare by converting patient records in an electronic format that could be retrieved at any time a physician (Bardach et al. , 2009). In addition, the electronic format facilitates the manner of reviewing the patient’s chart as his history is immediately available at the click of specific commands on the software. This technology thus saves time in physically performing retrieval tasks, which in turn can be critical when the medical condition of a patient is quite serious. Electronic medical records also expands the capacity of consolidating information on a particular patient, as all test records could be integrated into one single file. The employment of electronic medical records also improves the communication between the patient and the physician, mainly due to the ease and speed of accessing the patient’s chart (Hsu et al. , 2005). Instead of spending time in finding the patient’s records in the filing cabinet, the physician thus spends more time in assessing the patient’s current condition and in designing a treatment regimen for the patient. With this setting of ample interaction and personal attention from the physician, the patient will feel properly attended to by his physician. It should be understood that the positive interaction between the physician and the patient strongly influences the success and adherence of the patient to a treatment plan. The application of information technology to healthcare has also enhanced the capacity in prescribing medications to patients (Garrido et al. , 2005). Using a patient database for administered drugs, physicians and pharmacists can quickly check specific medications and dosages that have been given to a particular patient. There are many cases of intoxication or drug-drug interactions as there are usually no available information of previous medications that a patient has taken and retrieval of paper-based records takes some time to complete. Pharmacies can also monitor the amount of drugs that have been supplied to the patients and regulate the amount of refills, which in turn can prevent drug abuse or intoxication. Healthcare has also benefited from information technology by facilitating physicians in requesting for medical procedures. Instead of having a physician provide a written request for a diagnostic test or medical procedure, information technology allows the physician to request the same procedures through a hospital database and just direct the patient to proceed to the next clinic or laboratory. Information technology also upgrades the method of making decisions with regards to specific medical conditions. It is a frequent occurrence that a patient develops a disease that needs to be attended by several doctors of different specializations. It is thus common to find a medical team composed of a cardiologist, pulmonologist, anesthesiologist and surgeon, discussing the condition of a single patient. Each of these specialists has very hectic schedules and thus it is difficult for them to be at a single site to discuss a patient’s condition. Information technology allows case discussions between specialists through the use of teleconferences, which involves computer-based software in providing both visual and audio access to other sites of the network. Information technology has also helped healthcare institutions consult specialists who may be in another hospital within the country and in another institution across the globe. Patient records, as well as data images from diagnostic tests from computerized tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or electrocardiograms, could be electronically sent to any other point around the world without any deterioration in the quality of the data. This feature increases the capacity of a healthcare institution in completing an assessment of a patient and in designing of the next appropriate procedure or treatment that should be performed on the patient. Healthcare has significantly improved through the adaptation of information technology. Electronic data storage, retrieval and transmission have enhanced the capacity for physicians and other healthcare personnel to review and follow specific instructions in taking care of patients. Prescription of drugs and monitoring of conditions of the patient has also improved as electronic formats have been installed in almost every hospital department. The improvement of healthcare using information technology has also increased the time that could be spent in personally attending to patients, which ultimately enhances the quality of healthcare services.

Strategy Development and Initiatives Essay -- Business and Management

Strategy Development and Initiatives 1) The history, development, and growth of the company over time ================================================================ In 1987, Andrew Young and Dick England established Kleenmaid a 100 % private owned Australian company. The companies main business is to import, manufacture and distribution of high-quality white goods appliances like cook tops, ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators and washing machines. In 1995, Kleenmaid shifted from a wholesale business to direct retailing, to provide customers a store with fully operational appliances where possible purchasers could use the washing machines or cook everything possible with the help of appliances provided by the store.. Its head office in Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia manages its major functions such as sales, marketing, service, financial, administrative and information technology (Hill et al. 2004). The company has been rated as one of the fastest growing private companies in Australia and regularly appears in the Business Review Weekly top five hundred companies. By 2001, the company has been rated as one of the fastest growing private companies in Australia (Hill et al. 2004). As part of its growing strategy, Kleenmaid bought the brand name and selected manufacturing equipment of liquidated company St George Appliances in 1999. St George, an Australian company for than fifty years, used to export its products all over the world. The company was renamed Kleenmaid St George following the purchase. It provides a comprehensive service, including delivery, installation and full after-sales service at a competitive price for builders and developers. The company uses subcontractors wearing’ Kleenmaid St George’ attire for all installation and servicing requirements (Hill et al. 2004). More than one million Australians use Kleenmaid St George appliances daily. As the only Australian direct retailer of kitchen and laundry appliances, the company says that it is committed to bringing the world’s best to its customers. The company’s appliances have a reputation for unique design, outstanding performance quality and reliability. Originally, products were sold through conventional retailers but, to uphold Kleenmaid St George’s commitment to providing unique products and exceptional service, the company started selling .. ...veloping implementation plan it can be concluded that very little changes is required for the company. Also answers to questions and issues raised in the case have been included. References ========== 1) Hannagan, T.J. 2002, Mastering Strategic Management, Basingstoke, Palgrave. 2) Hill, C.W.L, Jones G.R. & Galvin, P. 2004, Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach, Milton, Qld.: John Wiley and Sons Australia. 3) Hussey, D.E. 1994, Strategic management : theory and practice, Oxford, Uk. 4) Johnson G. & Scholes K. 2002, Exploring Corporate Strategy Text and Cases, 6th Ed, London, Prentice Hall 5) Mintzberg H. & Quinn J.B. 1992, The Strategic Process; Concepts and Contexts, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall 6) Pearce A. J. & Robinson R. B. 1994, Strategic Management, Formulation, Implementation, and Control, 5th Ed, Boston, Irwin. 7) Richardson B & Richardson R 1989, Business Planning; An Approach to Strategic Management, London, Pitman 8) Rosen R 1995, Strategic Management; An Introduction, London, Pitman. 9) Thompson, A. & Strickland, A. J. 2003, Strategic Management; Concepts and Case, 13th Ed. NY, McGraw Hill.

Buckland Review

Abstract Information Is a broad term that encompasses a wide variety of sources. In â€Å"Information as Thing†, Backhand attempts to define Information by breaking It down into information-as-process, information-as-knowledge, and information-as-thing. As he went on into tangibility versus intangibility, I saw a mere glimpse of the complexity behind it all but what really got me thinking was the discussion of what is usually thought of to be informative.The field of information sciences restricts information to consist strictly of data, documents and text, when in reality, like Backhand said, objects and events quite possibly could provide more Information. Luckily, there are changes being made In order to see that artifacts and objects can be seen as documents. Another viewpoint introduced was the fact that anything could have the capacity to be informational, as long as someone wanted it to be. Furthermore, not all things seen as informative are going to be utilized.Backhan d has opened my eyes to a new world where information is not Just a term that is uncomplicated but is elaborate. An uncommon Approach Information is a broad but loaded term. With that said, it is awfully hard to pinpoint its exact meaning. Many uncommon but noteworthy viewpoints were discussed in Michael Backhand's â€Å"Information as Thing†. This enlightening article presents a refreshing new twist on the way the word â€Å"information† is defined. For me, personally, Information has always been a term that has been Incredibly simple and straightforward.It was something self explanatory?no further explanation required. Because Backhand's perspective is so drastically different to what I'm familiar with, I had to read this piece several times before I could even begin to empowered it. Before I could even grasp all the material covered in this article, I knew I was in for a bumpy ride. It quickly became clear to me that information was exceedingly more complicated than I perceived It to be. As I was skimming through the article for the first time, I wondered what approach Backhand would take to define this term. Laming the word â€Å"Information† to be ambiguous, Backhand decided to break it down into three distinguishable parts: information-as-process, information-as-knowledge, and information-as-thing. Moreover, he then separated them into tangible versus intangible, where information-as-process and information-as-knowledge are categorized as intangible, as opposed to Information-as-thing, which falls under the category of tangible. Since this was all still very foreign to me, my brain was feeling a little overwhelmed.I would have never have expected there to be so much gray area within information and information sciences. When I think of sources of information, the typical few immediately come to mind ?TV, books, and websites. As Backhand begins to introduce the various types of information, data, texts, and documents are among the fir st elements to be touched upon. While reading this, I was completely satisfied with those three resources. Topic. To my utter surprise, this was certainly not the case. Instead, my eyes settled on another italicized word that appeared at the break of the paragraph. Objects†, the paper stated. I was puzzled by this label and questioned Backhand's ideas but soon came to the realization that he was spot on. Objects are definitely a great source of information?some may even argue that they are more informative than ATA, texts, or documents?but are frequently overlooked in the world of information studies. As I mulled over the thought some more, a certain object made its way into my mind. My charm bracelet, something I wear everyday, undeniably allows others to peer into the life of Chelsea Chin. Each charm is highly symbolic and reveals a little snippet about me.In my opinion, if a poll was taken about types of information, I'm sure the majority of people would have responded with at least one, if not all, of the big three, but if they were given the time to actually think about it and then given n follow-up assignment, I am confident that most people would have a list with the word â€Å"object† nested somewhere in there. With regards to the way the field of information science has fixated their time on data, text, and documents while ignoring objects, it is definitely difficult to hear but pleasant to see Outlet and the documentation movement giving it more attention.As I think the section is starting to wrap up, I am shocked yet again as I come across another italicized word: Events. Backhand brings up an excellent point when he refers to events as â€Å"informative henchmen†. There is no doubt that events are informative?they are Just harder to represent because they are fleeting. Backhand has come to the conclusion that â€Å"we are unable to say confidently of anything that it could not be information† (Backhand, 1991). The stateme nt is valid but something Vive never really thought about. As we dive deeper into the article, it becomes apparent that there is really no solution to this problem.Take a desk for example. It is something that is often seen simply Just as a piece of furniture? nothing more, nothing less. If one really wanted to though, this desk could provide all sorts of information. It has the ability to imply that one was a student or held a job. Furthermore, the quality of the desk could also be something to look out for when examining the item if one is writing a review for the company that made it. From this example, it is easy to see that anything can be qualified as informational if placed into the correct situation, which is exactly the point Backhand is trying to get at.Sometimes people believe things are informational even when it is not assured hat people will utilize that thing. Just like the telephone book mentioned by Backhand, the terms of agreement is plenty informational, but no on e really takes the time to read through that novel. Information has always been very black and white to me. Reading this article, however, has allowed me to see information in a different light. Backhand made an exceptional attempt to define the word â€Å"information† by dividing it further into three separate sections.Comparing his definition to mine, it is easy to see that my view was elementary and extremely transparent while his was well thought out and intricate. His arguments have really provoked a considerable amount thought in me: documents, data, and text are not the only resources that provide information. Objects and events are equally as informational, if not more so. Everything has to the Backhand made some really great points that have given me a newfound appreciation for the field of information studies. References Backhand, M. (1991). Information as Thing. Journal of the American Society for Information science, 42(5), 351-360.

The Youth Of A New Country - 1588 Words

1. Grabbing people’s attention with certain programs can be a hard task to achieve, especially if they don’t know your language that well, or they are newcomers to your country. The way I would reach out to the newcomer youth in the Greater Toronto area would be creating a flier to post around schools and public places to promote the program, this way the more instances that people see the flier, the more interested in it they become. Another way of grabbing the attention of newcomers to pull them into coming to our program would be giving out packages explaining to the parents of the children what our program can benefit to their children who are being welcomed into a new country. This makes sure the child’s parents are aware of the programs that the YMCA has for them, plus give them a chance to look over and contemplate if they believe it is going to be a good opportunity for their children. Lastly, I would develop a presentation, and go into the schools most p opulated with newcomer kids to introduce them to the types of programs that they can get involved in. I would even ask for it to be held outside of normal school hours so their parents would be able to sit in on the presentation so they are able to get the same information. There is one major barrier the I need to consider while developing ways to promote the YMCA programs. That barrier is communication. While most of the people who live in Toronto speak either English or French, immigrants also in the GreaterShow MoreRelatedRole Of Youth In National Development844 Words   |  4 PagesRoles of the youth in national development. With this much advantage, there are roles that young people can be involved in national development. The roles are opportunities for the youth to better their lives and in turn develop the nation. 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