Looking back now, before attending the presentation on the Health Information Exchange (HIE), I did not have much knowledge about the system. I knew it provided a platform to hold the patients health information and was more accessible being online. However, I never thought more in depth about where the information comes from, who is able to view it and how it is shared. The presenters who work with the HIE, answered all these questions. 

The HIE has been around for 10 years and only continues to evolve with the ever changing world. They started off just sharing basic medication information to providers, but shortly realized all health care personal caring for the patient should have access. They also recently included mental health information as an option to include. With that being said, not only can patients opt out of sharing the mental health portion, they can also opt out of all the medical information completely. However, we were told that a very small percent of individuals have chosen that. The HIE provides all health care employees in this patient’s care team the same information and therefore hopefully helping them to all be on the same page. Data is provided thoroughly but there is also the option for a “summary” type page that can be used in emergent situations to get a quick background of the patient and anything to watch out for, for example allergies. The HIE allows information to be shared faster and provides a larger picture as individuals can have 10 years of health care visits, diagnosis, and treatments all compiled into one place. With that, I feel nurses and other providers will be more confident treating and caring for patients. 

As a soon to be nurse, I am confident I will see this. As the world continues to change, we have already become more electronically focused and therefore, I see the HIE only growing and becoming more popular. I am eager to see if my place of employment uses this tool or can provide further information. I feel it is a great tool to get a better understanding of a patient and trend their health. I only see HIE improving the healthcare system and communication among healthcare employees.