Information and communication technologies (ICTs) currently are immature but show great promise, according to the authors of an article published in the American Journal of Medical Science.

The authors, Burke W. Mamlin, MD, and William M. Tierney, MD, both of the Regenstrief Institute at Indiana University School of Medicine, cover the current state and promise of the following 7 areas of ICT in healthcare: EHRs, health information exchange (HIE), patient portals, telemedicine, social media, mobile devices and wearable sensors and monitors, and privacy and security.

Mamlin and Tierney also offer steps for each of these technologies to reach its full potential. For example, steps to better EHRs include a universal programming interface, universal patient identifiers, improved documentation and improved data analysis. HIEs require federal subsidies for sustainability and support from EHR vendors, targeting seamless sharing of EHR data. Patient portals need better design, training and greater provider engagement.

Telemedicine needs sustainable payment models, clear rules of engagement, quality measures and monitoring. Value from social media would be boosted by consensus on rules of engagement for providers, better data mining tools and approaches to counter disinformation. Mobile and wearable devices would benefit from a universal programming interface, improved infrastructure, more rigorous research and integration with EHRs and HIEs. Laws for privacy and security need updating to match current technologies, and data stewards should share information on breaches and standardize best practices.

Despite the fact that healthcare is mainly an information business and adoption of IT systems has surged in recent years, “chaos reigns,” according to the authors.

“Now is the time for a rational and well-funded national agenda for ICT development in healthcare,” they wrote, calling for research and development funds to be tied to EHR implementation and to have them come from both federal sources and the private sector. “Only then can healthcare, an information business, maximize the benefits realizable by leveraging existing and rapidly developing ICT. Only then can we extract value from the chaos.”