Informatics X-Men Evolution to Combat COVID-19

The world health care community continues to heroically rise to the challenge of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, from the frontline care givers to informatics professionals. Within the world of COVID-19, clinical informatics’ response can be compared to Marvel’s X-Men, where evolution normally taking place over long years took place in a few short weeks. Major forward leaps in data use, utilizing big data for research because traditional studies that take years were not options, predictive analytic functionality retooled to help predict COVID-19, deployment of testing and medication research trials at a supersonic pace, design and launch of new telehealth care models, and exponential growth in information technology infrastructure were driven by the need to develop a “new normal” for safe and effective care for all patients. This article explores many of the rapid evolution improvements driven by the COVID-19 response. The environment of loosened regulations, support of collaborative practice between health systems and their vendors, and a global pressure to come up with solutions created the right primordial ooze for innovation to evolve at astonishing rates. From keeping up with the daily changes in regulations to the day-by-day support for an exhausted bedside clinician, informaticists are key contributors to a successful strategy to address the pandemic. The article also outlines several of the challenges informatics has been able to help with and how technology is being leveraged to help respond.