Strategic Value of Health Information

Strategic Value of Health Information
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date

There are two characteristics of data that are implied by its integrity. The first one is the accuracy of the data. In healthcare, this implies that all the data provided be true and specific. The vitality of this characteristic of data cannot be overemphasized (Dooling, 2013). Treatment of patients varies with many other factors such as genetic predisposition, allergies, acquired diseases and so forth. If particular information is entered wrongly, the consequences could be fatal. A very good example, in this case, is the accuracy of data for the sake of blood transfusion. This is one of the procedures that are most likely to be carried out in an emergency after an accident when the patient is not able to communicate their details. Compatibility during transfusion depends on the rhesus factor of an individual. If a person who is rhesus negative is wrongly accorded positive status, they can erroneously receive a positive rhesus transfusion whose results can be fatal. The other characteristic of data integrity is completeness. The data that is harnessed by healthcare systems should be as complete as possible (Dooling, 2013). This would enable healthcare stakeholders to make an informed judgment on a patient’s case. For example, a complete history of a patient would be able to inform a doctor on exiting allergies to medications or such limiting conditions as hepatic, cardiac or renal deviancies…