Hardware

Used to refer to all the tangible equipment related to information technology, including the computers, peripheral devices, such as printers, disks, and scanners, and the cables, switches, and other components of the telecommunications infrastructure that binds everything together.

Hard Wired

Refers to the permanent connection of two devices by a communications link.

HCII

Health Care Information Infrastructure.

HDTV

High-definition television. A television system with 1125 lines of horizontal resolution, with the ability of creating high quality video images.

Hertz

A unit of frequency equivalent to one cycle per second.

HIS

Hospital Information System. Used to store and retrieve patient information, this integrated computer-based system may include or be linked to laboratory and radiology information systems (LIS and RIS).

HL7

Health Level 7 Data Communications Protocol. Used at the applications level, this communication protocol outlines the guides to transmitting health-related information. Usually used within a single institution, HL7 allows the synthesis of various applications, such as bedside terminals, radiological imaging stations, hospital census, order entries, and patient accounting, into one system.

HPCC

High Performance Computing and Communications. A program of research coordinated by the Federal Government focused on research and development, created to expedite the introduction and use of the next generation of high performance computer systems.