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Claudia Lillibridge’s extensive career of over 20 years in health informatics has allowed her to be exposed to numerous changes throughout the field. In her role as Senior Project Manager at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Lillibridge M.S. '22 is using innovative technology to enhance physician-patient communication. 

“Our Customer Relationship Management database is responsible for co-developing and piloting new innovative technologies or ideas,” Lillibridge said. 

Lillibridge utilizes the Customer Relationship Management database to ensure that information sent out to patients is clear and uniform. The database also ensures that information is sent in one voice to avoid confusion. 

“It’s like a one-stop shop,” Lillibridge said. “People come through me and then I can show them contacts in a department to establish a working relationship.”

In addition to the Customer Relationship Management database, Lillibridge incorporates artificial intelligence in her role for easier communication with patients and their families. 

“Utilizing AI helps patients and their family members garner a deeper understanding of what they are going through,” Lillibrdge said. “Documentation and various presentations are presented in a voice they can understand to make the patient’s journey easier.”

With the introduction of AI, Lillibridge hopes that overall health literacy improves. 

“We’re able to do summary analyses of numerous reports, and from there develop a relationship with them,” Lillibridge said. “We can change its summary or translate them to multiple languages so people can understand it better.”

New technological advancements can bring drastic changes to an industry. As a result, Lillibridge urged health informatics professionals to use artificial intelligence responsibly. 

“With the implementation of AI, we have made great leaps and bounds in health informatics,” Lilibridge said. “However, we’re going to continually need that human touch and we still have to look at AI as a tool.”

Utilizing technology carefully keeps a core aspect of the field intact, which Lillibridge said is building relationships.  

“So many of the classes I took at Kent emphasize the need for continued human contact into the relationships that you develop amongst your peers,” Lillibridge said. “You have to have a cohesive nature of humanness and utilizing technology for the betterment of all.”

Unequal access to technology is a huge challenge in some communities. Hospitals in these areas rely on written documentation written at a level everyone can understand to avoid miscommunication. 

“You have to educate and have an open line of communication with your patient,” Lillibridge said. “It is important that you guide them and offer them tools that they understand.”

Despite this challenge, Lillibridge said that there is a generalized interest in improving health literacy in these communities. 

“A knowledgeable customer is the best customer and I think medicine is no different,” Lillibridge said. 

With its latest advancements and a wide variety of opportunities, Lillibridge is eager to see what future health informatics professionals do in this burgeoning field. 

“I can’t think of a better field for anyone to get into,” Lillibridge said. “You’re going to be able to understand different aspects of informatics and guide people who are developing new ways of practicing medicine.”