Health Information Management

 The College of Health Sciences and Technology Idah, Kogi State, offers National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programs in Health Information Management. These programs equip students with the knowledge and skills to collect, analyze, and disseminate health data.

One of the slogans of this department is 'Memory forget, Record reminds', after careful observation on this slogan, one cannot help but agree that indeed, for continuity of health care delivery services, documentation is not only necessary but compulsory. This is why we have to agree that 'what is not documented is not yet done'.

It is a noble profession that many have myopically stereotyped and reduced to card issuers in the clinic. Yes, the Record department issue cards but the scope of their functions is far beyond issuance of card. There's a significant shift from the analogue paper practice to a modern digital procedures of patients' data collection, processing, storing and retrieving. The level of health statistics this students are subjected to is out of this world....... Have you ever seen the Health records student studying 'Medical Coding'? Well I used to have one as my roommate and the intensity and dedication devoted to understanding this course cannot be swept under the carpet......

Since I have made reference to the interdepartmental presentation in my previous articles, I'll mention one of the take home I got from the presentation of the Records Department, the presenter said; Health Information Management Department is the only stereoscopic (Three dimensional)department in the college, he explained that students are trained in the field of health (wellbeing), they are also trained in the field of information (Information Management, information technologies etc), and they are well grounded in terms of management systems. Hence; the title HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT. And that is a plus in my opinion.

The programs cover various aspects, including:

1. Health Data Management: Collecting, storing, and retrieving health data.

2. Medical Coding: Assigning codes to diagnoses and procedures.

3. Health Information Systems: Designing and implementing health information systems.

4. Data Analysis: Analyzing health data to inform decision-making.

All thanks to this profession, a patient who has a card and history in the hospital list of healthcare beneficiary can come back years later and the history/card at still kept intact....... 

They have professional ethics and one of their strongest code of conducts is confidentiality. The average Health Information Management Student will always say 'Confidentiality is our watch word'.

Graduates of HIM can work in various settings, including:

1. Hospitals: Managing patient records and health information.

2. Health Ministries: Analyzing health data for policy development.

3. Research Institutions: Collecting and analyzing health data for research.

4. Health Insurance Companies: Processing claims and managing health data.

HIM professionals play a crucial role in:

1. Improving Healthcare Quality: Providing accurate and timely health data.

2. Informed Decision-Making: Analyzing health data to inform policy and practice.

3. Research and Development: Supporting research and development in healthcare.

4. Healthcare Planning: Informing healthcare planning and resource allocation.

When it comes to Research/Project writing, the chapters three and four is usually a practical workover for the good Health Record student. In chapter three, when you talk of Research Methodology, they've done the different methods of research. Chapter four when you look at Research Analysis, it is a regular classwork from their statistics class......... The college is a highly disciplined ground for professional training.

To the Glory of God, The HND Environmental Health and HND Health Information are accredited by the respective management Boards as well as NBTE as students of these two programs are now qualified for the NYSC program to serve their father land or should I say.......Mother land.

I  want to explain it in a lay man's understanding........ Whenever you read/hear organizations like WHO say a certain percentage of pregnant mothers, children under five years of age, etc died before/while giving birth(for the pregnant mothers) or died before school age(for the young child), have you ever wondered how they got those numbers? From where did they get those figures, and who are those, doing the maths and statistics to arrive at such conclusions? We don't deny the roles of other team members, but these cannot be accomplished without the Medical Record personnels. I also  agree with the students of this department when they say 'We are the backbone of medicine'.

Documentation is very important to establish a baseline before commencement of patientcare, to monitor and evaluate care/treatment given, for reference purpose, for continuity of care and also, as source of data for policy making, improved procedures and optimum healthcare services.

After graduating as a Health Information Management Technologist, graduates can pursue further education by obtaining :

1. Bachelor's Degree: Pursuing a degree in Health Information Management or related fields.

2. Master's Degree: Specializing in areas like Public Health Informatics or Health Data Analytics.

We are aware that in a few years time, we'll have persons with Doctoral degrees in this department.

Information 

           Power✊✊✊

The College of Health Sciences and Technology Idah, Kogi State, plays a vital role in producing skilled HIM professionals who contribute to improving healthcare quality and informing decision-making in the health sector.

®Ahmed Salim Jn ✍️ 

17/04/2025